Psychoeducational Challenges in Spanish Children With Dyslexia and Their Parents' Stress During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

BACKGROUND: Research during 2020 has been rapidly attending to the impact of COVID-19 on various dimensions of wellbeing (e.g., physical, psychological, lifestyle and routines) on adults and children around the world. However, less attention has focused on the psychoeducational impact on children and their families. To our knowledge, no currently available studies have looked specifically at the impact of COVID-19 on students with dyslexia and their families. Research on this topic is needed to offer greater support for this population of students and their families. OBJECTIVE: The main objective of this paper is to examine the psychoeducational impact of the required COVID-19 quarantine in Spain among children with dyslexia and their families. METHOD: A sample of 32 children with dyslexia and their mothers participated in this study. MEASURES: Children and adolescents with dyslexia and their mother completed several measures before the required national quarantine in Spain and again during the quarantine. Children completed measures of depression, state anxiety, reading activity, and reading motivation. Mothers provided demographic information and completed measures related to students' emotional and behavioral difficulties as well as parenting stress, parental distress, and a questionnaire about educational problems during quarantine. RESULTS: Major findings showed that during quarantine, children with dyslexia had increased levels of depression and anxiety symptoms, and parents perceived their children as having more emotional symptoms, hyperactivity-inattention, and conduct problems. During quarantine, children and adolescents with dyslexia also showed less reading activity and less reading motivation. Parents also reported significantly more stress, during quarantine compared to pre-quarantine conditions. Some demographic and psychological variables predicted children's state anxiety as well parental stress. The questionnaire related to impacts of quarantine also revealed several important findings. For example, nearly all parents of children with dyslexia reported (a) difficulties in establishing study routines, (b) that the quarantine negatively affected their child's learning, and (c) that they did not receive sufficient help from teachers on how to support their child's learning. Additionally, the vast majority of the parents were very worried about the child's learning and school success, the child's motivation and interest in reading, the child's peer relations, and the professional skills of the child's teacher. CONCLUSION: This study offers a preliminary investigation into this topic and elucidates several psychoeducational challenges that children with dyslexia and their families have experienced during the quarantine in Spain. Study findings highlight the need to provide immediate support for children with dyslexia and emphasizes the importance of developing prevention programs to mitigate any future negative impacts of COVID-19 on children with dyslexia and their parents.

Parent and Teacher Ratings of Behavioral Executive Functioning for Students With Dyslexia.

Research exploring behavioral ratings of executive functioning (EF) for children and adolescents with dyslexia is scarce, which limits researchers, clinicians, educators, and parents from understanding and best supporting these students at home and/or school. Using the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function, Second Edition (BRIEF-2) rating scale to measure participants' EF behaviors in home and school settings, a primary objective of this study was to examine the EF of Spanish children and adolescents with dyslexia (n = 78) and to compare their EF with typically developing (TD) peers (n = 82). The study also sought to examine agreements and disagreements among teacher and parent raters. One key finding was that children and adolescents with dyslexia were rated by both parents and teachers as having more frequent cognitive, behavioral, and emotional EF difficulties in home and school compared with TD peers. However, teachers often reported greater severity of impairments than parents did across several EF domains, potentially suggesting a differential pattern of EF difficulties between home and school. Results are discussed in relation to multi-informant assessment practices for EF behaviors (e.g., there may be differential patterns of EF difficulties between home and school) and how the findings have implications for supporting children and adolescents with dyslexia.

Cribado de Chagas en mujeres gestantes latinoamericanas. Experiencia en el Poniente Almeriense / Chagas screening in pregnant Latin-American women. Experience in Poniente Almeriense (Almeria, Spain)

Introducción La transmisión vertical de la enfermedad de Chagas supone un problema de Salud Pública en países no endémicos. Métodos Cribado de Chagas mediante dos test serológicos a las gestantes procedentes de áreas endémicas durante 4 años. Resultados Se estudiaron 261 gestantes procedentes de 13 países latinoamericanos, realizando un diagnóstico confirmatorio (dos test positivos) en 4 casos. No existió ningún caso de transmisión vertical. Conclusión Aunque la enfermedad de Chagas tiene una baja prevalencia en la provincia de Almería, su cribado es necesario para la detección y tratamiento de los recién nacidos con la enfermedad (AU)

Introduction: The transmission of Chagas disease is a public health problem in non-endemic countries. Methods: Chagas screening was performed by two serological tests in pregnant women from endemic areas for 4 years. Results: We studied 261 pregnant women from 13 Latin American countries, making a confirmatory diagnosis (two positive tests) in 4 cases. There was no case of vertical transmission. Conclusion: Although Chagas disease has a low prevalence in the province of Almeria, the screening is necessary for the detection and treatment of infants with the disease (AU)

[Chagas screening in pregnant Latin-American women. Experience in Poniente Almeriense (Almeria, Spain)]. / Cribado de Chagas en mujeres gestantes latinoamericanas. Experiencia en el Poniente Almeriense.

INTRODUCTION: The transmission of Chagas disease is a public health problem in non-endemic countries. METHODS: Chagas screening was performed by two serological tests in pregnant women from endemic areas for 4 years. RESULTS: We studied 261 pregnant women from 13 Latin American countries, making a confirmatory diagnosis (two positive tests) in 4 cases. There was no case of vertical transmission. CONCLUSION: Although Chagas disease has a low prevalence in the province of Almeria, the screening is necessary for the detection and treatment of infants with the disease.

Structure of the Clade 1 catalase, CatF of Pseudomonas syringae, at 1.8 A resolution.

Catalase CatF of Pseudomonas syringae has been identified phylogenetically as a clade 1 catalase, closely related to plant catalases, a group from which no structure has been determined. The structure of CatF has been refined at 1.8 A resolution by using X-ray synchrotron data collected from a crystal flash-cooled with liquid nitrogen. The crystallographic agreement factors R and R(free) are, respectively, 18.3% and 24.0%. The asymmetric unit of the crystal contains a whole molecule that shows accurate 222-point group symmetry. The crystallized enzyme is a homotetramer of subunits with 484 residues, some 26 residues shorter than predicted from the DNA sequence. Mass spectrometry analysis confirmed the absence of 26 N-terminal residues, possibly removed by a periplasmic transport system. The core structure of the CatF subunit was closely related to seven other catalases with root-mean-square deviations (RMSDs) of 368 core Calpha atoms of 0.99-1.30 A. The heme component of CatF is heme b in the same orientation that is found in Escherichia coli hydroperoxidase II, an orientation that is flipped 180 degrees with respect the orientation of the heme in bovine liver catalase. NADPH is not found in the structure of CatF because key residues required for nucleotide binding are missing; 2129 water molecules were refined into the model. Water occupancy in the main or perpendicular channel of CatF varied among the four subunits from two to five in the region between the heme and the conserved Asp150. A comparison of the water occupancy in this region with the same region in other catalases reveals significant differences among the catalases.

Effectiveness of a school-based multicomponent program for the treatment of children with ADHD.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of a multicomponent program for treating attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) carried out by teachers in a classroom context. Dependent measures included neuropsychological tasks, behavioral rating scales for parents and teachers, direct observation of behavior in the classroom, and academic records of children with ADHD. Fifty children with ADHD participated in the study. The teachers of 29 of the 50 students were trained in the use of behavior modification techniques, cognitive behavior strategies, and instructional management strategies. The other 21 students formed the control group. Parents' and teachers'ratings detected improvements in primary symptoms (inattention-disorganization, hyperactivity-impulsivity) and in behavioral difficulties usually associated with ADHD (e.g., antisocial behavior, psychopathological disorders, anxiety). Furthermore, the results showed increased academic scores, enhanced classroom behavioral observations, and improved teachers' knowledge about the strategies directed toward responding to the children's educational needs.