Applicability of the Movement Assessment Battery for Children-Second Edition (MABC-2) for Japanese Children Aged 3-6 Years: A Preliminary Investigation Emphasizing Internal Consistency and Factorial Validity.

This study investigated the applicability of the Movement Assessment Battery for Children - Second Edition (MABC-2) for 3- to 6-year-old Japanese children, particularly addressing its internal consistency and factorial validity. The MABC-2 test set for 3- to 6-year-old children was administered to 252 children. Differences between Japanese children and those of the original normative sample (i.e. United Kingdom children) were investigated along with sex differences. The Japanese children aged 3-6 years were found to have higher Manual Dexterity and Balance component scores than children of the normative sample. Girls scored higher than boys on the Balance component. Results of several analyses showed good internal consistency of the MABC-2. Confirmatory factor analysis revealed that a theoretical three-component model of the MABC-2 was not fitted to Japanese children aged 3-6 years. Instead, a new three-component model was postulated and discussed. The new three-component model of the MABC-2, with Manual Dexterity, Static Balance and Ball Skills, and Dynamic Balance, has high factorial validity in Japanese children aged 3-6 years.

Role of Inner Speech on Serial Recall in Children with ASD: A Pilot Study Using the Luria Hand Test.

This study was conducted to investigate the relation between the effect of articulatory suppression on the serial recall and severity of social impairments among children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The Luria hand test (LHT) was administered to evaluate the capacity for serial recall in 13 children with ASD. The LHT was administered under three conditions: control, under articulatory suppression, and under spatial suppression. Performance on the LHT of children with ASD was significantly lower in terms of both articulatory suppression and the spatial suppression condition. Moreover, the severity of social impairment in children with ASD was related to individual differences of effects of articulatory suppression on the LHT, but not with effects of spatial suppression. These results support the notion that dialogic inner speech which mediates complex cognitive abilities has inherently social origins.

Uniqueness of action monitoring in children with autism spectrum disorder: Response types and temporal aspects.

BACKGROUND: Action monitoring, the process for evaluating the appropriateness of one's own actions, is reported to be atypical in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). METHOD: We examined the characteristics of action monitoring in 11 children with ASD and 12 children with typical development (TD), analyzing stimulus-locked and response-locked event-related potential components (i.e., N2; error-related negativity, ERN; and error positivity, Pe) related to execution of a flanker task. RESULTS: We found a smaller N2 amplitude in children with ASD than in those with TD. Children with ASD also had a larger amplitude of ERN for partial error responses (electromyographic activity corresponding to the inappropriate hand side before response execution) than did children with TD. Additionally, the ERN amplitude for the partial error response was correlated with the Autistic Mannerisms of the Social Responsiveness Scale. There were no significant differences in Pe amplitudes between children with ASD and those with TD. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that action monitoring in children with ASD is significantly different both before and after response execution. We hypothesized that the detail-focused processing style of ASD reduces the demands of action monitoring before response execution; however, autistic mannerisms evoke excessive concern regarding trivial mistakes after response execution.

Applicability of the Movement Assessment Battery for Children-Second Edition to Japanese children: A study of the Age Band 2.

BACKGROUND: The diagnosis of Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) requires a precise assessment of motor skills via a standardized tool such as the Movement Assessment Battery for Children-Second Edition (MABC-2). Although the MABC-2 has been widely used in English-speaking countries, to the best of our knowledge, no studies have examined its applicability to Japanese children. Thus, it has been difficult to diagnose DCD in Japan. AIMS: As a preliminary investigation preceding its formal standardization in Japan, we examined the applicability of the MABC-2. METHODS AND PROCEDURES: Participants comprised 132 typically developing Japanese children who completed a test set of the MABC-2 for Age Band 2. We analyzed both internal consistency and factorial validity for our Japanese sample. We also included a comparison between our sample of Japanese children and the normative sample of the MABC-2, as well as an examination of gender differences. OUTCOMES AND RESULTS: Our results indicated acceptable internal consistency and scale homogeneity. High factorial validity, which has not been examined in other populations, was also confirmed for the test set. Moreover, we found differences in component scores between the Japanese and normative children with respect to Manual Dexterity and Balance. We also found that girls obtained superior Manual Dexterity and Balance scores compared with boys. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: The present findings represent the first step towards the standardization of the MABC-2 in a Japanese population.

Temporal and spatial parameters of stepping in place in children and adults.

Characteristics of synchronized and self-paced stepping in place were examined by analyzing a temporal parameter (step frequency) and a spatial parameter (step height). Participants were 20 adults (10 women, 10 men; M age = 22.5 yr., range = 21-23) and 10 children (5 girls, 5 boys; M age=6.1 yr., range = 5-6). Results indicated that: (1) the step frequencies, which were equivalent for both groups, were well coincident with stimulus frequencies; (2) when step frequencies were imposed, the step height decreased with increasing step frequency, except for the lowest frequency condition in children; (3) movement consistency was the highest at 2 Hz and deteriorated if the step frequency was higher or lower; and (4) the self-paced stepping in place was optimal in terms of movement consistency. These results showed that stepping in place is a rhythmic movement at a given range of frequency which is coordinated so as to keep the product of step frequency and step height constant.

Features of Stroop and reverse-Stroop interference: analysis by response modality and evaluation.

Stroop interference (the Stroop effect) is the phenomenon observed when naming the color of an incongruent stimulus, such as the word "red" printed in blue ink; typically, this color incongruence causes slower naming compared to a neutral stimulus, such as a blue square patch. Reverse-Stroop interference occurs when reading the stimulus takes longer than reading the neutral stimulus. Features of Stroop and reverse-Stroop interference were examined, focusing on the difference between the response modalities--oral response and manual response--and the difference between methods of evaluating performance (time or correct responses) and the interference score. Participants were 47 students (30 women, 17 men; M age=20.8 yr., range=19-29). The results were as follows: (1) the performance of the reverse-Stroop condition was higher than that of the Stroop condition for both oral and manual responses; (2) the Stroop interference score was significantly greater with the oral response than with the manual response; and (3) the reverse-Stroop interference score was constant regardless of the response modality. The results were discussed with respect to differences in processing speeds of verbal and sensory information.