Transcultural adaptation process of the Griffiths-III Mental Development Scale.

BACKGROUND: The Griffiths-III Mental Development Scale (GMDS-III) is used in the diagnosis of child development in several countries, presenting cross-cultural adaptation of the original British version. In Brazil, there is a shortage of standardized and normalized diagnostic tools for the child population. The study describes the cross-cultural adaptation of the GMDS-III for the Brazilian reality. METHOD: Ethical aspects were fulfilled (CAAE: 34802014.0.0000.5417). Six steps of the cross-cultural adaptation process suggested by the American Association of Orthopedic Surgeons Outcomes Committee were followed: two independent translations; synthesis translations and version T1-2 preparation; T1-2 version retrotranslation, blinded, by two natives of the origin language and fluent in the target language; expert committee review maintaining conceptual, idiomatic, semantic, and cultural equivalence, elaborating the pre-final version; application of the pre-final version, in Portuguese, for 96 Brazilian children; documentation submission to the original scale authors. RESULTS: Five hundred seventy-one words/expressions translated and adapted from English to Brazilian Portuguese. No gross inconsistencies or conceptual error were found in the translation. The pre-final version was applied to 72 children, distributed along the scale age range, with no absence of response for any item, making a satisfactory distribution of the skills assessed in the instrument. Original scale authors issued a certificate agreeing with the process. CONCLUSIONS: The GMDS-III was adapted transculturally to the Brazilian reality following a rigorous methodology. This work is an anchor for scale normalization with application in a representative sample of Brazilian children, as well as verification of psychometric properties in the Brazilian version. This was the first step towards the beginning of the transformation of the Brazilian children's scenario regarding the use of a standardized and normalized assessment instrument, providing an early and assertive diagnosis.

Effects of a Phonological Reading and Writing Remediation Program in Students with Dyslexia: Intervention for Specific Learning Disabilities.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effects of a phonological remediation reading and writing program in individuals with dyslexia, through behavioral and objective evaluations. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Twenty children diagnosed with dyslexia, aged 8-14 years, were included in this study. Group I (GI) was composed of 10 children who took part in the program, and group II (GII) consisted of 10 subjects who did not take the remediation. The pre-testing evaluated phonological awareness, rapid naming, working memory, reading and writing of words and nonwords, thematic writing, and auditory evoked potential - P300. The type of stimulus used was the speech (20% of rare stimulus and 80% of frequent stimulus), intensity of 80 dBNa. The rare stimulus was the syllable /da/, and the frequent stimulus was the syllable /ba/. Next, the Phonological Reading and Writing Remediation Program was applied in 24 cumulative sessions, twice a week, each with a duration of 30 min. In the post-testing (at the end of the program), all the tests of the pre-testing were reapplied. RESULTS: There was a statistically significant difference (between pre- and post-testing) in phonological awareness, rapid naming, working memory, thematic writing, writing and reading words and nonwords, as well as in the latency of the P3 component of P300 in GI, while GII maintained the same difficulties. CONCLUSION: The phonological remediation program showed to be a therapeutic method of fast beneficial effects in written language of individuals with dyslexia. However, the wide age range and the size of the sample could be considered a limitation of this study - it interferes with the generalization of results.

Translation and cross-cultural adaptation of the Kaufman Speech Praxis Test for Children (KSPT) protocol. / Tradução e adaptação transcultural do protocolo Kaufman Speech Praxis Test for Children (KSPT).

PURPOSE: To present the Kaufman Speech Praxis Test for Children - KSPT instrument, as well as its Brazilian cross-cultural adaptation. METHODS: After obtaining permission to use the KSPT by the copyright holder, and compliance with ethical aspects, the instrument was translated and adapted into Brazilian Portuguese, preserving semantic, idiomatic, experimental and conceptual equivalences, when relevant. RESULTS: After translation and cross-cultural adaptation procedures, there were no changes in Part 1 (Oral movement); in Part 2 (Simple Phonemic and Syllabic Level), 12 test words were excluded and 16 were included; and in Part 3 (Complex Phonemic and Syllabic Level), 13 test words were excluded as they failed to correspond to the characteristics of phonoarticulatory production (phonetic/phonological) in Brazilian Portuguese. In part 4 (Spontaneous Length and Complexity - subjective measure) there were no changes to the English version of the KSPT. After the process, the final version of the material was approved by the author and applied to children for usability and equivalences check. The application to a significant population in Brazil for the construction of psychometric criteria will be carried out at a future stage. CONCLUSION: The KSPT translation is completed with changes in test words from the application protocol to respect the cross-cultural characteristics of the Brazilian-Portuguese language. Semantic, idiomatic, experimental and conceptual equivalences were respected throughout the application manual, clinical test guide and test statements. This instrument is expected to integrate advances in the diagnosis and monitoring of intervention procedures, effectively contributing to the area.

OBJETIVO: Apresentar o instrumento Kaufman Speech Praxis Test for Children ­ KSPT, bem como sua adaptação transcultural para o Brasil. MÉTODO: Após a permissão de utilização do KSPT pela detentora dos direitos autorais, e cumprimento dos aspectos éticos, o instrumento foi traduzido e adaptado para o português brasileiro, com manutenção de equivalências semântica, idiomática, experimental e conceitual, quando pertinente. RESULTADOS: Após procedimentos de tradução e adaptação transcultural, não houve mudanças na Parte 1 (Nível de movimento oral); na Parte 2 (Nível silábico e fonêmico simples), 12 palavras-teste foram excluídas e 16 incluídas; e na Parte 3 (Nível silábico e fonêmico complexo), 13 palavras-teste foram excluídas por não apresentarem correspondência em relação às características de produção fonoarticulatória (fonético/fonológico) no Português Brasileiro. Na parte 4 (Extensão e complexidade espontânea - medida subjetiva) não houve alterações da versão em inglês do KSPT. Após todo o processo o material final foi aprovado pela autora e aplicado em crianças para a verificação da usabilidade e verificação de equivalências. A aplicação em população significativa no Brasil para a construção de critérios psicométricos será realizada em etapa futura. CONCLUSÃO: A tradução do KSPT está finalizada com mudanças em palavras-teste do protocolo de aplicação, para respeitar as características transculturais da língua portuguesa falada no Brasil. Foram respeitadas as equivalências semântica, idiomática, experimental e conceitual, no manual de aplicação, guia de teste clínico e nos enunciados das provas. Espera-se que este instrumento integre avanços para o diagnóstico e acompanhamento de procedimentos de intervenção, trazendo uma contribuição efetiva para esta área.

Sleep quality, functional skills, and communication in preschool-aged children with autism spectrum disorder.

AIM: This study aimed to correlate sleep quality, the performance of functional skills (mobility, self-care, and social function), communication, independence, and severity of ASD in children with ASD. METHOD: 58 children between 3 and 5 years and 11 months old were investigated. The Childhood Autism Rating Scale was applied to determine the severity of autism; the Sleep Disturbance Scale for Children was used to investigate sleep quality, and the Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory to investigate functional abilities and independence of the children. RESULTS: 68.9 % of the children showed indicative of sleep disorders. There was no correlation between the different sleep disorders and communication. Sleep disorders showed a negative correlation with functional performance and a positive correlation with ASD severity. INTERPRETATION: The current study offers an exploration between sleep and functional skills in children with ASD. These findings provide important clinical implications in the diagnosis and intervention process of children with ASD and also stimulate reflections on the importance in minimize the impact of sleep disorders and functional abilities on the quality of life of these individuals and their families.

Silver-Russell syndrome: clinical, neurodevelopmental and communication characteristics: clinical case studies. / Síndrome de Silver-Russell: Características clínicas, de neurodesenvolvimento e comunicação: Estudo de casos clínicos.

Silver Russell Syndrome (SRS) is a genetically heterogeneous condition with a clinical phenotype that includes intrauterine and postnatal growth restriction, craniofacial alterations, body asymmetries, low body mass index, and feeding difficulties. Alterations in motor development, global coordination, and speech are expected. The current study aims to present the syndrome, neurodevelopment, and communication characteristics of three male children diagnosed with the syndrome, aged 16, 18, and 44 months, respectively. Ethical principles were followed. An analysis of the medical records, aiming to collect information of the anamnesis, conducted with the guardians, and of the assessment carried out with the children was performed. The assessment was performed by applying the following instruments: Communicative Behavior Observation (CBO), Development Screening Test Denver-II (TSDD-II), and the Early Language Milestone Scale (ELMS). The survey of characteristics confirmed the SRS hypothesis; it was verified a delay in communicative behavior for all participants in CBO; in TSDD-II there was a delay in gross motor, fine motor-adaptive, language, and social personal skills. Scores below expectations were found for receptive auditory and expressive auditory functions, with receptive abilities more developed than expressive abilities, in ELM. The SRS deserves to be recognized by the scientific community, since the phenotypic characteristics and the data from the previous life allow the hypothesis of the syndrome to be raised, aiming at an early correct diagnosis and therapeutic planning that minimizes the harmful effects of this condition.

A Síndrome de Silver Russel (SSR) é uma condição geneticamente heterogênea com fenótipo clínico que inclui restrição do crescimento intrauterino e pós-natal, alterações craniofaciais, assimetrias corporais, baixo índice de massa corporal e dificuldades alimentares. Há expectativa de alterações do desenvolvimento motor, da coordenação global e de fala. O presente estudo tem como objetivo apresentar características da síndrome, do neurodesenvolvimento e comunicação de três crianças do sexo masculino, com diagnóstico da síndrome, na faixa etária de 16, 18 e 44 meses, respectivamente. Cumpriram-se os critérios éticos. Foi realizada análise de prontuário, com objetivo de coletar informações da anamnese realizada com os responsáveis, e da avaliação realizada com as crianças. A avaliação foi realizada por meio da aplicação dos seguintes instrumentos: Observação do Comportamento Comunicativo (OCC), Teste de Screening de Desenvolvimento Denver-II (TSDD-II) e o Early Language Milestone Scale (ELMS). O levantamento de características confirmou a hipótese da SSR; na OCC verificou-se atraso nos comportamentos comunicativos para todos os participantes; no TSDD-II verificou-se atraso nas habilidades motora grossa, motora fina-adaptativa, linguagem e pessoal social. Na ELM verificou-se escores aquém do esperado para as funções auditiva receptiva e auditiva expressiva com habilidades receptivas mais desenvolvidas do que as habilidades expressivas. A SSR merece ser reconhecida pela comunidade científica, uma vez que as características fenotípicas e os dados de vida pregressa, possibilitam que seja levantada a hipótese da síndrome, visando o diagnóstico correto precocemente e um planejamento terapêutico que minimize os efeitos deletérios desta condição.

Global and communicative development skills in preschool children with cleft lip and palate.

IMPORTANCE: Cleft lip and palate (CLP) is globally among the most common childhood malformations. This disorder impacts childhood development, including speech and language, and affects children worldwide. OBJECTIVE: To analyze child development skills (adaptive fine motor, gross motor, personal-social, and language) in preschool children with isolated CLP compared with children without this malformation. METHODS: The participants included an experimental group of 27 children with isolated CLP and a comparison group of 27 children without CLP aged between 48 and 59 months. The groups were evaluated using two instruments: the Denver Developmental Screening Test II (DDST-II) and the Avaliação do Desenvolvimento da Linguagem (ADL-Language Development Assessment). Data were analyzed by descriptive and inductive analyses, using the Student's t-test and the Mann-Whitney test, at a significance level of P ˂ 0.05. RESULTS: All children in the comparison group performed within normal standards for their age range in the DDST-II and the ADL. The worst performance in the experimental group was observed in language skills, followed, in declining order, by adaptive fine motor, personal-social, and gross motor as measured by the DDST-II. Children with isolated CLP also performed poorly in receptive, expressive, and global language in the ADL. No statistically significant differences were observed in the experimental group's scores for the ADL and the DDST-II. INTERPRETATION: Developmental skill levels were below expectations for children of this age with isolated CLP.

Patterns of regulatory behavior in the still-face paradigm at 3 months: A comparison of Brazilian and Portuguese infants.

Three infant regulatory behavior patterns have been identified during the Face-to-Face Still-Face paradigm (FFSF) in prior research samples: a Social-Positive Oriented pattern (i.e., infants exhibit predominantly positive social engagement), a Distressed-Inconsolable pattern (i.e., infants display conspicuous negative affect that persists or increases across FFSF episodes), and a Self-Comfort Oriented pattern (e.g., infants primarily engage in self-comforting behaviors such as thumb-sucking). However, few studies have examined these patterns outside US and European countries or evaluated potential cross-country differences in these patterns. In this study, we compared the regulatory behavior patterns of 74 Brazilian and 124 Portuguese infants in the FFSF at 3 months of age, and evaluated their links to demographic and birth variables. The prevalence of the three regulatory patterns varied by country. The most frequent pattern in the Portuguese sample was the Social-Positive Oriented, followed by the Distressed-Inconsolable and the Self-Comfort Oriented. However, in the Brazilian sample, the Distressed-Inconsolable pattern was the most prevalent, followed by the Social-Positive Oriented and the Self-Comfort Oriented. Moreover, in the Brazilian sample, familial SES was higher among infants with a Social-Positive pattern whereas 1st-minute Apgar scores were lower among Portuguese infants with a Distressed-Inconsolable Oriented pattern of regulatory behavior. In each sample, Social Positive pattern of regulatory behavior was associated with maternal sensitivity, Self-Comfort Oriented pattern of regulatory behavior with maternal control, and Distressed-Inconsolable pattern with maternal unresponsivity.

Family SES and maternal sensitivity predict infant patterns of regulatory behavior in Brazilian dyads.

Infant's patterns of regulatory behavior contribute to infant socioemotional development and attachment. These behavioral patterns affect and are affected by the quality of mother-infant interaction. In most studies with full-term infants, the Social-Positive Oriented pattern (i.e., the infant's ability to soothe his/her emotions in the context of reciprocal and positive interactions) is the most prevalent pattern, followed by the Distressed-Inconsolable and by the Self-Comfort Oriented patterns. However, these patterns are understudied in other populations beyond the US and European countries. The current research addresses this gap by studying the regulatory behavior patterns and their association with mother-infant interactions in Brazilian dyads and evaluating the association of these regulatory patterns with demographics. Analyses were based on data collected for 40 infants (20 boys, 20 girls) and their mothers. Infants' regulatory behavior patterns were evaluated in the Face-to-Face Still-Face paradigm and mother-infant interaction was evaluated during free play at 3 months age. Notably, our findings indicate that Distressed-Inconsolable was the most prevalent pattern in this sample; followed by the Social-Positive Oriented and the Self-Comfort Oriented patterns. Furthermore, we found that maternal sensitivity and family SES (social-economic status) predicted infant patterns of regulatory behavior.

Performance in motor, communicative and cognitive skills of girls with congenital hypothyroidism treated from the neonatal period. / Desempenho em habilidades motoras, comunicativas e cognitivas de crianças com hipotireoidismo congênito tratadas desde o período neonatal.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the performance in gross motor, fine motor-adaptive, language, cognitive and personal-social development skills of girls with a mean age of 36 to 71 months with Congenital Hypothyroidism treated from the neonatal period with that of their peers without thyroid alterations. METHODS: The participants included in the study were 30 children aged between 36 and 70 months divided into two groups paired for chronological age and socioeconomic status: 15 girls diagnosed with Congenital Hypothyroidism - Experimental Group (EG) and 15 girls without thyroid changes - Control Group (CG). The following assessment instruments were used: Interview with parents, Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test - Revised (PPVT-R), and Denver Developmental Screening Test - 2nd edition (DDST-II). Psychological testing of intellectual functioning was conducted with application of the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale (SBIS). The descriptive statistical analysis was performed using Student's t-test and the Mann-Whitney test at a significance level of 5% (p<0.05). RESULTS: Comparison of the PPVT-R and SBIS results showed a statistically significant difference between the EG and CG. Comparison of the DDST-II results showed a statistically significant difference between the groups for the fine motor-adaptive, language and gross motor areas. CONCLUSION: The present study confirms that Congenital Hypothyroidism affects child development, even when children are diagnosed and treated early, leading to alterations that can impair their motor, cognitive and language development.

OBJETIVO: Comparar o desempenho das habilidades motora grossa, motora fina-adaptativa, linguagem, cognitiva e pessoal-social de meninas entre 36 e 70 meses com hipotireoidismo congênito tratado no período pós-natal com seus pares sem alterações tireoidianas. MÉTODO: Participaram 15 meninas com diagnóstico de hipotireoidismo congênito, com idade cronológica variando de 36 a 70 meses no Grupo Experimental (GE); e 15 meninas sem alterações tireoidianas no Grupo Comparativo (GC), pareadas por idade cronológica e nível socioeconômico. Os instrumentos de avaliação utilizados foram: Entrevista com os pais; Teste de Vocabulário por Imagem Peabody (TVIP-R); e Teste de Triagem do Desenvolvimento de Denver II (TTDD-II). Foi realizada a avaliação psicológica, quanto ao nível intelectual, com a aplicação da Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale (SBIS). A estatística foi realizada por meio de análise descritiva, teste "t" de Student e Teste de Mann-Whitney, nível de significância de p <5%. RESULTADOS: Na comparação do TVIP-R e SBIS, houve diferença estatisticamente significante entre o GE e o GC. Na comparação entre as áreas do TTDD-II, houve diferença estatisticamente significante entre os grupos para as áreas de Linguagem, Motora Grossa e Motora Fina-Adaptativa. CONCLUSÃO: O presente estudo confirmou a interferência do Hipotireoidismo Congênito no desenvolvimento infantil, mesmo quando diagnosticado e tratado precocemente, levando a mudanças no desenvolvimento que podem trazer prejuízos nas áreas motora, cognitiva e linguística.

Language evaluation in children with pre-lingual hearing loss and cochlear implant.

INTRODUCTION: The cochlear implant is an effective device for children with severe and/or profound prelingual hearing loss, since it provides considerable improvement in oral language acquisition through the auditory pathway. The use of a cochlear implant contributes to the development of auditory perception, favoring the acquisition of the linguistic processes related to communication skills, which might have a positive effect on other areas of development. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to verify the performance of children using cochlear implants for expressive and receptive oral language. METHODS: This was a prospective cross-sectional study that used the following tests: Child language test in the phonology, vocabulary, fluency and pragmatics areas, and the Peabody picture vocabulary test. Thirty children participated in this study, of both genders, aged between 36 and 72 months, with severe and/or profound bilateral sensorineural hearing loss, without other impairments and users of unilateral cochlear implant with full electrode insertion for a minimum of 12 months. RESULTS: The longer duration of the cochlear implant use, the younger age at surgery and the better performance in the auditory perception of speech influenced the performance in expressive and receptive oral language. Even though when compared to the normative language acquisition process, the results showed that these children had patterns of linguistic skills that are below their chronological age; the results indicate that these children are developing expressive and receptive oral language skills, and this is the outcome that should be taken into account in this study. CONCLUSION: The longer duration of the cochlear implant use, the younger age at surgery and the better performance in the auditory perception of speech influenced the performance in expressive and receptive oral language skills, but not in all the studied semantic categories.

Language, neurodevelopment, and behavior in Angelman syndrome: a case report. / Linguagem, neurodesenvolvimento e comportamento na Síndrome de Angelman: relato de caso.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to present findings on language, behavior, and neurodevelopment in a girl diagnosed with Angelman Syndrome, evaluated when she was three and eight years old. METHODS: The following evaluation instruments were used: Observation of Communication Behavior, Early Language Milestone (ELM) Scale, and Denver Developmental Screening Test, 2nd edition (DDST-II). RESULTS: In this case report, presence of AS phenotype signals such as wide mouth and wide-spaced teeth, tongue thrusting, strabismus, up slanting palpebral fissures, and sialorrhea are verified. Expressive and receptive deficits were verified in the language assessment, with the absence of orality and loss of comprehension with very similar performances in both evaluations. The ELM and DDST-II tests indicated severe impairment of all abilities evaluated at both three and eight years of age. Performance was quite similar in both evaluations in all areas of child development. Little progress was observed over time despite the great therapeutic and educational investment. CONCLUSION: The presence of a complex scenario such as AS demands high complexity clinical needs, a situation that is worsened due to scarcity of therapeutic resources that could minimize the harmful impacts of AS and culminate in increased quality of life for the AS population and their families.

OBJETIVO: O objetivo deste estudo é apresentar achados de linguagem, comportamento e neurodesenvolvimento de uma menina com diagnóstico da Síndrome de Angelman, avaliada aos três e aos oito anos. MÉTODO: Os instrumentos de avaliação foram Observação do Comportamento Comunicativo, Early Language Milestone Scale (ELM) e Teste de Screening de Desenvolvimento DENVER-II (TSDD-II). RESULTADOS: No caso apresentado, verifica-se a presença dos sinais fenotípicos da SA, tais como boca larga, dentes espaçados, língua protuberante, estrabismo, fissuras palpebrais ascendentes e sialorreia. Na avaliação de linguagem, foram verificados déficits expressivos e receptivos, com ausência de oralidade e prejuízos na compreensão. O TSDD-II e a ELMS indicaram grave comprometimento de todas as habilidades avaliadas aos três e aos oito anos. O desempenho encontrado, nas duas avaliações, foi muito semelhante em todas as áreas do desenvolvimento infantil. Ao longo dos anos, verificou-se pouca evolução, apesar do grande investimento terapêutico e educacional. CONCLUSÃO: A presença de um quadro complexo como a SA demanda necessidades clínicas de alta complexidade, situação agravada frente à escassez de recursos terapêuticos que possam minimizar os impactos deletérios da síndrome, culminando em comprometimento da qualidade de vida da população com a SA, bem como de suas famílias.

Child development skills and language in toddlers with cleft lip and palate.

INTRODUCTION: Children born with cleft lip and palate (CLP) are exposed to several risk factors for developmental delay. METHODS: This cross-sectional and descriptive study compared the performance of gross motor, adaptive fine motor, social-personal and language skills in children with non-syndromic cleft lip and palate (age = 36-47 months, n = 30) matched as to chronological age and gender. The evaluation instruments were Denver Developmental Screening Test II and MacArthur Communicative Development Inventory - part D, employed for the receptive and expressive vocabulary checklist. Intergroup comparisons were performed using t tests and Chi-square tests. The Pearson correlation coefficient was used to verify the inter-category correlation (p ≤ 0.05). RESULTS: There was statistically significant difference in gross motor, adaptive fine motor, and language skills, both in receptive and expressive aspects, in the comparison between groups. In the personal-social area, children with CLP presented performance below the expected, without statistically significant difference between groups. CONCLUSIONS: Children with CLP are at risk for developmental disorders and should be monitored from early childhood to minimize the deleterious effects of this risk condition.

[Development skills in children with congenital hypothyroidism: focus on communication]. / Habilidades do desenvolvimento em crianças com hipotireoidismo congênito: enfoque na comunicação.

BACKGROUND: congenital hypothyroidism may cause alterations in the child's global development. AIM: to outline the development profile in children with congenital hypothyroidism, focusing on communication, and to verify the influence of clinical history on the outlined profile. METHOD: 35 children, with ages between 2 to 36 months, with congenital hypothyroidism detected by neonatal screening, and who were in treatment for at least one month using hormonal replacement were assessed using the Early Language Milestone Scale (ELM) and the Portage Operation Inventory (POI). The clinical history was obtained in an interview with the family and from the analysis of medical records. RESULTS: in the ELM, eleven children presented a poor performance in the expressive auditory function, two in the visual function and one in the receptive auditory function. In the POI, seven children presented a poor performance in the language section, five in cognitive section, four in the motor and social sections and three in the self-care section. There was no correlation between the results obtained in the assessments and the clinical history. CONCLUSION: most of the children presented adequate performances in the evaluated skills. For the children with altered performance, larger deficits were observed in the language section, for the expressive aspects, and in the cognitive section. The influence of clinical history on the development profile was not confirmed. However, a tendency for an adequate performance was observed in those children who underwent neonatal screening, received an early diagnosis and treatment for the congenital hypothyroidism and who received higher doses of thyroxine at the beginning of treatment. The importance of a speech-language follow-up for communication development in this population is highlighted.

Instrumentalized evaluation for diagnosis of developmental disorders in childhood: a new Brazilian reality. / Avaliação instrumentalizada do desenvolvimento infantil: nova realidade brasileira.

PURPOSE: To present the Griffiths Mental Development Scale (GMDS), as well as its cross-cultural adaptation to Brazil. METHODS: GMDS is a diagnostic tool for assessing child development. The result of its application allows verifying if development is typical or if there are alterations in a certain specific area (gross motor, personal-social, language, fine-adaptive motor and execution) or global development. After contact with the authors, permission to use GMDS was obtained and in compliance with ethical aspects, the Portuguese version of the instrument was adapted to Brazilian Portuguese with maintenance of semantic, idiomatic, experimental and conceptual equivalences. The adaptation was carried out by two speech therapists, experienced in evaluating infants, who were submitted to training course prior to the application of the instrument. The adapted final version was applied to 21 infants with typical development. RESULTS: Thirty-nine items were adapted without any exclusion. All items were possible to be applied, suitable for the target age group, with no response in any item. CONCLUSION: GMDS has been trans-culturally adapted in several countries and widely used for performing diagnosis in the age group essential for stimulation with brain plasticity in full development. The cross-cultural adaptation of GMDS for Brazil was carried out, transforming the Brazilian scenario in relation to child care. After normalization and verification of psychometric measures, it was possible, in addition to early diagnosis, to improve the quality of care for this population; carry out cross-cultural studies and publish the results in international journals regarding the feasibility of GMDS being accepted and used worldwide.

OBJETIVO: Apresentar a Escala de Desenvolvimento Mental de Griffiths (EDMG), bem como sua adaptação transcultural para o Brasil. MÉTODO: EDMG é um instrumento diagnóstico de avaliação do desenvolvimento infantil. O resultado de sua aplicação permite verificar se o desenvolvimento é típico ou se há diagnóstico de alteração em determinada área específica (motora grossa, pessoal-social, linguagem, motora fina-adaptativa e execução) ou do desenvolvimento global. Após contato com autores, permissão de utilização da EDMG e cumprimento dos aspectos éticos, a versão do instrumento em português europeu foi adaptada para o português brasileiro, com manutenção de equivalências semântica, idiomática, experimental e conceitual. A adaptação foi realizada por duas fonoaudiólogas, experientes em avaliação de lactentes, que realizaram o curso de capacitação para aplicar o instrumento. A versão final adaptada foi aplicada em 21 lactentes com desenvolvimento típico. RESULTADOS: Foram adaptados 39 itens, sem exclusão alguma. Todos os itens foram possíveis de serem aplicados, adequados à faixa etária alvo, sem ausência de resposta em nenhum item. CONCLUSÃO: A EDMG é adaptada transculturalmente em diversos países e amplamente utilizada por realizar diagnóstico em faixa etária essencial para estimulação com a plasticidade cerebral em pleno desenvolvimento. Foi realizada a adaptação transcultural da EDMG para o Brasil, transformando o cenário brasileiro em relação à atenção a lactentes. Após normatização e verificação das medidas psicométricas, será possível, além de diagnóstico precoce, melhorar a qualidade dos atendimentos a esta população; realizar estudos transculturais e publicar em revistas internacionais com a viabilidade de a EDMG ser aceita e utilizada internacionalmente.

Observation of Communicative Behavior: an updated protocol from 0 to 72 months / Observação do Comportamento Comunicativo: protocolo atualizado de 0 a 72 meses

ABSTRACT Purpose: to describe the updating of the Observation of Communicative Behavior protocol in the age group from 0 to 72 months. Methods: the Observation of Communicative Behavior protocol was revised and updated, with the insertion of the child development milestones in its various areas, becoming a child development screening tool. Results: the protocol includes 188 items, distributed in 10 age groups from zero to 72 months. The items were organized as follows: from zero to 24 months, divided by quarter (four age groups); from 24 to 36 months per semester (two age groups); and from 36 to 72 months, divided by year (four age groups). The items covered the areas of child development and its main milestones. The score is registered in the protocol and a score of 0 - does not perform the action or behavior, 1 - performs the action in an atypical, restricted manner or it is being acquired, 2 - properly performs the action/behavior, is attributed to the response, after analysis. Few materials and a structured environment are needed to apply the protocol. Conclusion: the updating of the Observation of Communicative Behavior protocol has a direct impact on the initial assessment of children with or without suspected delay in child development and should be used by health professionals in monitoring typical child development (routine) or in cases where the child receives specific stimulation.

RESUMO Objetivo: descrever a atualização do protocolo Observação do Comportamento Comunicativo na faixa etária de 0 a 72 meses. Métodos: a Observação do Comportamento Comunicativo foi revisada e atualizada, com inserção de marcos do desenvolvimento infantil em suas diversas áreas, tornando-se um instrumento de triagem do desenvolvimento infantil. Resultados: o protocolo contempla 188 itens, distribuídos em 10 faixas etárias: de zero a 72 meses. Os itens foram organizados da seguinte forma: de zero a 12 meses, divididos por trimestre (quatro faixas etárias); de 12 a 24 meses, por semestre (duas faixas etárias); e, de 24 a 72 meses, divididos por ano (quatro faixas etárias). Os itens contemplam as áreas do desenvolvimento infantil e seus principais marcos. A pontuação é registrada no próprio protocolo, atribuindo a análise da resposta em 0 - não realiza a ação ou comportamento; 1 - realiza de maneira atípica, restrita ou está em aquisição; 2 - realiza adequadamente a ação/comportamento. São necessários poucos materiais para aplicação e ambiente estruturado. Conclusão: o protocolo Observação do Comportamento Comunicativo traz impacto direto na avaliação inicial de crianças com ou sem suspeita de atraso no desenvolvimento infantil e deve ser utilizado por profissionais da saúde, no acompanhamento do desenvolvimento infantil típico (rotina) ou em casos em que a criança recebe estimulação específica.

Communicative performance and vocabulary domain in preschool preterm infants.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to evaluate and compare the performance of children in preschool age who were born premature and term, without neurological injury, regarding receptive and expressive language skills, and to reflect on the importance of these skills for performance in preschool. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Two groups named Preterm Group and Comparison Group, each composed by 40 children, as well as 80 legal representatives (mothers) and 80 teachers of the participants. To pair the groups, we considered chronological age (months), sex, educational level, type of school (public or private) and socioeconomic status. To assess the groups we used structured and semi-structured Observation of Communicative Behavior and applied the ABFW Child Language Test - Part B-Vocabulary and the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test. To assess the legal representatives we applied an anamnesis questionnaire and the MacArthur Communicative Development Inventory. The assessment of the teachers consisted of the MacArthur Communicative Development Inventory and a Student Assessment Protocol developed by the authors. RESULTS: For the observation of communicative behavior, the categories with the highest losses were: narrative, maintaining dialogic activities and attention difficulties. In the ABFW Child Language Test and Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test there were statistically significant differences. In the MacArthur Communicative Development Inventory there were statistically significant differences in expressive vocabulary, but no differences in receptive vocabulary, for both the mothers and the teachers. CONCLUSION: Children born prematurely with low risk of neurological sequelae in preschool age may have greater difficulties in linguistic performance than their peers born to term.

[Periventricular leukomalacia and spastic diplegia: implications in the psycholinguistic abilities]. / Leucomalácia periventricular e diplegia espástica: implicações nas habilidades psicolingüísticas.

BACKGROUND: spastic diplegic cerebral palsy (D-CP) is frequently related to periventricular leukomalacia (PVL), which usually affects the descending motor fibers of the association cortex and association fibers of the visual, auditory and somesthesic functions. AIM: to verify the performance of children with D-CP regarding their psycholinguistic skills. METHOD: participants were eight individuals of both genders and with chronological ages varying from four to six years, diagnosed with D-CP, having PVL confirmed through magnetic resonance. These children were evaluated through the Illinois Test of Psycholinguistic Abilities (ITPA) and the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT), considering the cognitive performance, the level of motor impairment and the performance in the auditory and visual subtests of the ITPA. RESULTS: the results pointed to a significant correlation between the cognitive performance and the PPVT. The same correlation was confirmed between the PPVT and the subtest of auditory reception of the ITPA, when considering the psycholinguistic age. In the comparison between the auditory and visual abilities, the participants demonstrated a better performance in the activities that involved visual abilities, indicating a significant correlation in the association subtest. There was a statistically significant correlation between the level of motor impairment and the psycholinguistic performance, confirming the influence of the motor impairment in these activities. CONCLUSION: the children with D-CP and with suggestive signs of PVL presented deficits in the psycholinguistics abilities, justifying the need of additional studies in this area in order to investigate the development of these abilities.

Development skills of children born premature with low and very low birth weight. / Habilidades do desenvolvimento de crianças prematuras de baixo peso e muito baixo peso.

PURPOSE: To compare the performance of children born premature with low birth weight (LBW) and very low birth-weight (VLBW) with that of children born at term, within the age range of one to three years, regarding child development in the gross motor, fine motor-adaptive, personal-social and language domains. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study in a cohort of 150 infants born premature (experimental group) and at term (control group) divided into eight groups with respect to weight (low birth weight: <2500 grams and very low birth weight: <1500 grams) and age range (aged 12 to 24 and 25 to 36 months). The control groups were paired with the experimental groups as for gender, chronological age, and socioeconomic level. Assessment comprised the application of anamnesis protocol, socioeconomic classification, and Denver Developmental Screening Test (DDST-II). Corrected age was calculated for premature children up to 24 months of age. Descriptive statistical analysis and the Student's t-test were used. RESULTS: No statistically significant difference was found in the comparison between the groups of infants born premature and at term for all domains evaluated. CONCLUSION: The performance of infants born premature was lower than that of infants born at term regarding the gross motor, fine motor-adaptive, personal-social and language domains. In this study, the preterm groups presented different performances, i.e., normative, average, and below average performances were observed within the same group.

Síndrome de Silver-Russell: Características clínicas, de neurodesenvolvimento e comunicação: Estudo de casos clínicos / Silver-Russell syndrome: clinical, neurodevelopmental and communication characteristics: clinical case studies

RESUMO A Síndrome de Silver Russel (SSR) é uma condição geneticamente heterogênea com fenótipo clínico que inclui restrição do crescimento intrauterino e pós-natal, alterações craniofaciais, assimetrias corporais, baixo índice de massa corporal e dificuldades alimentares. Há expectativa de alterações do desenvolvimento motor, da coordenação global e de fala. O presente estudo tem como objetivo apresentar características da síndrome, do neurodesenvolvimento e comunicação de três crianças do sexo masculino, com diagnóstico da síndrome, na faixa etária de 16, 18 e 44 meses, respectivamente. Cumpriram-se os critérios éticos. Foi realizada análise de prontuário, com objetivo de coletar informações da anamnese realizada com os responsáveis, e da avaliação realizada com as crianças. A avaliação foi realizada por meio da aplicação dos seguintes instrumentos: Observação do Comportamento Comunicativo (OCC), Teste de Screening de Desenvolvimento Denver-II (TSDD-II) e o Early Language Milestone Scale (ELMS). O levantamento de características confirmou a hipótese da SSR; na OCC verificou-se atraso nos comportamentos comunicativos para todos os participantes; no TSDD-II verificou-se atraso nas habilidades motora grossa, motora fina-adaptativa, linguagem e pessoal social. Na ELM verificou-se escores aquém do esperado para as funções auditiva receptiva e auditiva expressiva com habilidades receptivas mais desenvolvidas do que as habilidades expressivas. A SSR merece ser reconhecida pela comunidade científica, uma vez que as características fenotípicas e os dados de vida pregressa, possibilitam que seja levantada a hipótese da síndrome, visando o diagnóstico correto precocemente e um planejamento terapêutico que minimize os efeitos deletérios desta condição.

ABSTRACT Silver Russell Syndrome (SRS) is a genetically heterogeneous condition with a clinical phenotype that includes intrauterine and postnatal growth restriction, craniofacial alterations, body asymmetries, low body mass index, and feeding difficulties. Alterations in motor development, global coordination, and speech are expected. The current study aims to present the syndrome, neurodevelopment, and communication characteristics of three male children diagnosed with the syndrome, aged 16, 18, and 44 months, respectively. Ethical principles were followed. An analysis of the medical records, aiming to collect information of the anamnesis, conducted with the guardians, and of the assessment carried out with the children was performed. The assessment was performed by applying the following instruments: Communicative Behavior Observation (CBO), Development Screening Test Denver-II (TSDD-II), and the Early Language Milestone Scale (ELMS). The survey of characteristics confirmed the SRS hypothesis; it was verified a delay in communicative behavior for all participants in CBO; in TSDD-II there was a delay in gross motor, fine motor-adaptive, language, and social personal skills. Scores below expectations were found for receptive auditory and expressive auditory functions, with receptive abilities more developed than expressive abilities, in ELM. The SRS deserves to be recognized by the scientific community, since the phenotypic characteristics and the data from the previous life allow the hypothesis of the syndrome to be raised, aiming at an early correct diagnosis and therapeutic planning that minimizes the harmful effects of this condition.

Memória operacional e vocabulário em crianças com Transtorno do Desenvolvimento da Linguagem / Memoria operativa y vocabulario en niños con Trastorno del Desarrollo del Lenguaje / Working memory and vocabulary in children with Developmental Language Disorder

O objetivo deste estudo foi verificar se existe diferença no desempenho de crianças com Transtorno do Desenvolvimento da Linguagem (TDL) e Desenvolvimento Típico de Linguagem (DTL) em testes de memória operacional fonológica (MOF) e de memória visual de curto prazo (MVCP), e se esse desem-penho está correlacionado com o vocabulário receptivo. Selecionamos 14 crianças com TDL e 28 com DTL. Todos os sujeitos foram submetidos a dois testes de memória de curto prazo e a um teste de vocabulário receptivo. A comparação entre os grupos foi realizada por meio do Teste t de Student e a correlação entre a memória de curto prazo e o vocabulário foi obtida pela correlação de Pearson. Crian-ças com TDL tiveram pior desempenho quando comparadas ao grupo controle, tanto em MOF quanto em MVCP. A correlação positiva entre os testes de memória e vocabulário sugere que tanto a alça fo-nológica quanto a memória visual são importantes para o processamento da linguagem, mesmo que a alça fonológica possa ter maior relevância

The aim of this study was to verify if there is a difference in performance between children with Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) and typical language development (TLD) in phonological working memory (PWM) test and visual short-term memory (VSTM), and if this performance is correlated with the result of a receptive vocabulary test. We selected 14 children with DLD and 28 with TLD. All subjects underwent two short-term memory tests and a receptive vocabulary test. The comparison between the groups was performed using the Student's t-test, and the correlation between the short-term memory and the vocabulary was obtained by Pearson's correlation. Children with DLD had a worse performance when compared with the control group, both in PWM and VSTM. The positive correlation between memory and vocabulary tests suggests that both the phonological loop and visual memory are important for the processing of language, even if the phonological loop may have greater relevance.

El objetivo de este estudio fue verificar si existe una diferencia en el desempeño de los niños con Trastorno del Desarrollo del Lenguaje (TDL) y el desarrollo del lenguaje típico (DLT) en las pruebas de memoria operativa fonológica (MOF) y memoria visual a corto plazo (MVCP), y si ese desempeño es correlacionado con el vocabulario receptivo. Seleccionamos 14 niños con TDL y 28 con DTL. Todos los sujetos se sometieron a dos pruebas de memoria a corto plazo y a una prueba de vocabulario receptivo. La comparación entre grupos se realizó mediante la prueba t de Student y la correlación entre la memoria a corto plazo y el vocabulario se obtuvo mediante la correlación de Pearson. Los niños con TDL tuvieron un peor desempeño en comparación con el grupo de control, tanto en la MOF como en la MVCP. La correlación positiva entre las pruebas de memoria y vocabulario sugiere que tanto el bucle fonológico como la memoria visual son importantes para el procesamiento del lenguaje, aunque el bucle fonológico puede tener mayor relevancia.