Does the Frontal Brain Electrical Activity Mediate the Effect of Home Executive Function Environment and Screen Time on Children's Executive Function?

Executive functions play an important role in various developmental aspects of children; however, environmental factors influencing individual differences in children's executive function and their neural substructures, particularly in middle childhood, are rarely investigated. Therefore, the current study aimed to investigate the relationship between the home executive function environment (HEFE) and screen time with the executive function of children aged 8-12 years by employing the mediating variables of alpha, beta, and theta waves. The parents of 133 normal children completed Barkley Deficits in Executive Functioning, HEFE, and Screen Time Scales. Alpha, beta, and theta brain waves were also measured. Data were examined using correlational and path analysis. The results suggested a positive and significant relationship between home executive functions and the executive functions of children. Furthermore, the results indicated an inverse and significant relationship between screen time and executive function. The results also proved the mediating role of alpha, beta, and theta brain waves in the relationship between screen time and the children's executive function. Environmental factors (such as home environment and screen time) affect the function of brain waves and, thus, the daily executive function of children.

COVID-19 Anxiety in Children and Its Relationship with Self-Related Skills of Executive Functions.

Objective: Some children experience a significant deal of anxiety during the outbreak of COVID-19. Behavioral dimensions of the executive function appear to link to situational anxiety experience. Therefore, the primary aim of the present study is to investigate the relationship between self-related skills of executive functions and the level of anxiety in children (8-12-years-old) during the outbreak of COVID-19. Also, the secondary goal of this study is to predict the level of anxiety based on self-related skills of executive functions. Method : Parents of 300 children filled out the Barkley Deficits in Executive Functioning Scale (BDEFS) and the COVID-19 anxiety scale. Data were analyzed using correlation and path analysis. A significance level of less than 0.05 was set for all tests. Data were analyzed using SPSS 22 software. Results: Results demonstrated that self-related skills of executive functions can predict 28% of COVID-19 anxiety. The subscales of self-management (P < 0.015, t = 5.56), self-regulation (P < 0.011, t = 6.37), self-restraint (P < 0.035, t = 4.29) and emotional self-organization (P < 0.042, P = 0.222) predicted coronavirus anxiety, but self-motivation (P < 0.05, P = 0.894) did not. Conclusion: Given that most subscales of executive function predict anxiety tied to critical situations such as the prevalence of the corona virus, it seems that greater attention should be allocated to the fostering and development of children's executive functions by teaching such skills at home by families.

Comparing the Effect of Risperidone, Virtual Reality and Risperidone on Social Skills, and Behavioral Problems in Children with Autism: A Follow-up Randomized Clinical Trial.

BACKGROUND: Improving behavioral and social problems in children with autism requires extensive training programs even with parents at home. The main goal of this study is to design a virtual reality (VR) intervention based on the TEACCH method in combination with risperidone to evaluate its effectiveness on social and behavioral problems. METHODS: Forty-three children with autism (6-12 years old) randomly were divided into three groups: risperidone (n = 15), risperidone + VR (n = 15), and control (n = 13). The interventions lasted for 3 months (90 sessions) and post-test assessments were done immediately after intervention. Follow up tests were done 3 months after that. RESULTS: Risperidone + VR group showed significant differences in social skills (MD = 36.59; 95% CI: 30.74 to 38.42, P < 0.001, ŋ2 = 1.51 in post-test; MD = 19.63; 95% CI: 17.27 to 21.63, P < 0.001, ŋ2 = 0.86 in follow up); and behavioral symptoms (MD = -36.12 ; 95% CI: -39.72 to -36.91, P < 0.001, ŋ2 = 1.99 in post-test; MD = -28.82 ; 95% CI: -29.43 to -25.32, P < 0.001, ŋ2 = 1.58 in follow up) compared to the control group. However, the risperidone group showed significant differences in social skills (MD = 2.03; 95% CI: 0.82 to 3.67, P < 0.001, ŋ2 = 0.12) and behavioral symptoms (MD = -36.66; 95% CI: -38.96 to -34.27, P < 0.001, ŋ2 = 1.96) only in post-test. Thus, the experimental groups did not have any significant difference in post-test. CONCLUSION: Combined interventions such as VR can enhance the effectiveness of risperidone response and boost children's preparedness to practice and learn social interaction.

The Effect of Perceptual-Motor Training on Executive Functions in Children with Non-Verbal Learning Disorder.

PURPOSE: Research shows an atypical cognitive process in children with nonverbal learning disorder (NLD) compared to typically developing children, but a wealth of information indicates that physical activity can influence cognitive processes. However, little is known about the effects of perceptual-motor training and its impact on the cognitive process of children with NLD. Thus, the major goals of this study are to compare the executive functions (EFs) in children with NLD with typically developing children and then to investigate the effect of perceptual-motor training on EFs of children with NLD. METHODS: To achieve the first goal, 400 typically developing (IQ >80) and NLD children (7-13 years old) were randomly selected in the city of Mashhad, Iran, during the period 2017-2018. As for the second goal, 50 children with NLD were randomly assigned to an experimental or control group. To evaluate executive functions, Delis-Kaplan executive function system test was used at the pretest, posttest, and 3-month follow-up. The experimental group received the Werner and Reini's perceptual-motor training program in sixteen 45-min sessions (three sessions per week), but the control group did not receive any intervention. RESULTS: The results showed that children with NLD were significantly weaker than typically developing children in London Tower Test (t (38) = -4.662, p <0.01), Trail Making Test (t (33.926) = -3.11, p <0.01), Card Sorting Test (t (38) = -3.427, p <0.01), and Stroop Color Test (t (30.035) = -5.876, p <0.01). The Pilates training had an obvious effect on enhancing the performance of participants in the experimental group (p<0.001), but similar results were not observed in the control group. CONCLUSION: Children with NLD have problems in EFs, but perceptual-motor training can be used as an effective intervention for these children.

Is visuomotor training an effective intervention for children with autism spectrum disorders?

PURPOSE: Investigation of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is somewhat dependent on addressing main core features of ASD. But it is not clear which kind of investigation can effect on more difficulties features. So, this study examines the effect of the visuomotor, motor, and computer-based training programs on social behavior, motor skills, and repetitive behaviors of children with ASD. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Sixty children with ASD aged 6-12 years were recruited and assigned to one of the three experimental groups and the control group (each group n=15). Training was provided in 30 sessions, scheduled 3 times a week. Social behavior and repetitive behaviors were determined objectively using the observation method, and motor skills were evaluated by the Test of Gross Motor Development-2. RESULTS: Our results suggested that children in the visuomotor group showed a significant reduction in the repetitive behaviors and an increase in gross motor skill scores in the post-test and follow-up. Also, the results exhibited that motor training group significantly improved in social behavior either in the post-test or follow-up. Although the post-test illustrated a considerable improvement of gross motor skills, this difference was not significant in follow-up. Similarly, no significant change was observed in visual training and control groups in relation to study variables. CONCLUSION: Given the improvement of repetitive behaviors and gross motor skills in post-test and follow-up, it seems that this investigation had a positive effect with a good retention effect on two core features of children with ASD. But according to group-based training protocol in motor training group and improvement in social communication, and mutual effect on gross motor skills, it seems that group-based practice can also be used to achieve the benefits of social communication in the investigations.