Executive Functioning and Language in a Pediatric Population with Autism Spectrum Disorders and Epilepsy: A Comparative Study.

In recent years, there has been an increase in the prevalence of comorbidity between ASD and epilepsy in the pediatric population. Children with ASD and epilepsy often exhibit greater impairments in executive functions such as cognitive flexibility, planning, inhibition, and emotional control, as well as in language dimensions such as phonology, semantics, morphosyntax, and pragmatics. These impairments can significantly impact their maturation and development. The aim of this study was to assess and compare the executive functioning and language skills of 150 participants, divided into three groups: one with ASD only, another with epilepsy only, and the third group with both ASD and epilepsy. The study utilized the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF-2) and Neuropsychological Evaluation of Executive Functions in Children (ENFEN) to assess executive functions, and Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals 5 (CELF-5) to evaluate language skills. The results indicated that participants with this comorbidity had lower scores in both executive functioning and language skills compared to children with only ASD or epilepsy. The presence of epilepsy significantly limits the executive and linguistic performance of children with ASD, negatively affecting language acquisition, functionality, and the ability to carry out basic life activities independently.

The Linguistic-Cognitive Profile in an Adult Population with Parkinson's Disease and Deep Brain Stimulation: A Comparative Study.

Introduction. Individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD) exhibit general impairments, particularly non-motor symptoms that are related to language, communication, and cognition processes. People with this disease may undergo a surgical intervention for the placement of a deep brain stimulation device, which improves their motor symptoms. However, this type of intervention leads to a decline in their linguistic and cognitive abilities that becomes increasingly noticeable as the disease progresses. Objective. The objective of this research was to compare the performance and linguistic-cognitive profile of individuals with Parkinson's disease who underwent deep brain stimulation treatment based on the stage of the disease. Method. A total of 60 participants who were diagnosed with PD by their reference hospital were selected. These participants were divided into three groups based on the stage of the disease that they were in, forming three groups: a Stage I group (n = 20), a Stage II group (n = 20), and a Stage III group (n = 20). The linguistic-cognitive profile was assessed using the MoCA, ACE-III, and MetAphas tests. The design of this study was established as a quasi-experimental, cross-sectional investigation, and statistical analysis was performed using MANOVA to compare the scores between the study groups. Results. The results indicate that individuals in Stage I exhibit better linguistic and cognitive performance compared to the other groups of participants in Stage II and Stage III, with statistically significant differences (p < 0.05). Conclusion. In conclusion, the progression of PD leads to significant linguistic and cognitive decline in individuals with this disease who have a deep brain stimulation device, greatly limiting the autonomy and quality of life for people with PD.

The Comprehension of Grammatical Structures in a Pediatric Population with ASD and Epilepsy: A Comparative Study.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and epilepsy represent a comorbidity that negatively influences the proper development of linguistic competencies, particularly in receptive language, in the pediatric population. This group displays impairments in the auditory comprehension of both simple and complex grammatical structures, significantly limiting their performance in language-related activities, hampering their integration into social contexts, and affecting their quality of life. The main objective of this study was to assess auditory comprehension of grammatical structures in individuals with ASD and epilepsy and compare the results among the three groups. A non-experimental cross-sectional study was designed, including a total of 170 participants aged between 7 and 9 years, divided into three groups: a group with ASD, a group with epilepsy, and a comorbid group with both ASD and epilepsy (ASDEP). The comprehension of grammatical structures was assessed using the CEG and CELF-5 instruments. Statistical analyses included MANOVA and ANOVA to compare scores between groups to verify associations between study variables. The results indicate that the group with ASD and epilepsy performed worse compared to the ASD and epilepsy-only groups, respectively. Additionally, a significant and directly proportional association was observed among all variables within the measures of grammatical structure comprehension. The neurological damage caused by epilepsy in the pediatric population with ASD leads to difficulties in understanding oral language. This level of functioning significantly limits the linguistic performance of these children, negatively impacting their quality of life and the development of core language skills.

The Influence of Sleep Disorders on Neurobiological Structures and Cognitive Processes in Pediatric Population with ASD and Epilepsy: A Systematic Review.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and epilepsy are increasingly prevalent comorbidities in our society. These two disorders are often accompanied by other comorbidities, such as sleep disorders, significantly impacting the quality of life of individuals with ASD and epilepsy. To date, clinical approaches have primarily been descriptive in nature. Therefore, this study aimed to analyze the relationship between ASD, epilepsy, and sleep disorders, exploring neurobiological dysfunctions and cognitive alterations. A total of 22 scientific articles were selected using a systematic literature review following the criteria established using the PRISMA model. The selected articles were gathered from major databases: Medline, PubMed, PsycINFO, Google Scholar, and Web of Science. Inclusion criteria specified that study participants had an official diagnosis of ASD, the article precisely described the evaluation parameters used in the study participants, and individual characteristics of the sleep disorders of the study participants were specified. The results indicate, firstly, that the primary cause of sleep disorders in this population is directly linked to abnormal serotonin behaviors. Secondly, significant alterations in memory, attention, and hyperactivity were observed. In conclusion, sleep disorders negatively impact the quality of life and neurocognitive development of the pediatric population with ASD and epilepsy.

Emotional and behavioral alterations and their relationship with executive functioning in the pediatric population with autism spectrum disorder and epilepsy: a comparative study.

Introduction: The pediatric population with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and epilepsy presents behavioral and emotional alterations that hinder their correct developmental maturation as well as their integration in different contexts such as school, family or social. This population shows atypical behavioral and emotional patterns, with difficulties in emotional regulation, understanding of emotions, aggressiveness, or low frustration tolerance. They also present alterations in executive functions, which significantly influence the emotional and behavioral characteristics of this population. Research suggests that epilepsy worsens the emotional, behavioral, and executive functioning status. Objective: To explore differences in behavioral, emotional, and executive functioning profile in individuals with a diagnosis of ASD, epilepsy, and ASD with epilepsy. Method: In this quasi-experimental and cross-sectional study, a total of 170 participants were selected and distributed into three groups: a group of participants with ASD, a group with epilepsy, and a group of participants with ASD and epilepsy. The SENA, BASC-3, and ENFEN tests were administered to verify the behavioral, emotional, and executive functioning profile in the three groups. Results: The results indicate that individuals diagnosed with ASD and epilepsy present greater emotional, behavioral, and executive functioning alterations compared to those who only present ASD or epilepsy. Conclusion: Individuals with ASD and epilepsy present significant alterations in emotional, behavioral, and executive functioning processes, which hinder their adaptation to different contexts, as well as decreasing their quality of life and that of their family.

Relationship of epilepsy on the linguistic-cognitive profile of children with ASD: A systematic review of the literature.

Introduction: The prevalence of comorbidity between epilepsy and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in the pediatric age increased significantly in recent years. The onset of epilepsy negatively influences the abilities of the user with ASD. Thus, epilepsy will be a disabling factor that will reduce the cognitive-linguistic skills of users with ASD. The main objective of this work is to review the current scientific literature and to compare the relationship of epilepsy on the development of cognitive and linguistic skills of children with ASD. Methods: In this regard, a systematic search was carried out in the main sources (Medline, PubMed, WOS, ResearchGate and Google Scholar). 481 articles were identified, from which, after meeting the different inclusion and exclusion criteria, a total of 18 studies of relevance to the objectives of this work were selected. Results: The results reflect that, at a global level, epilepsy significantly influences the performance of cognitive- linguistic skills in people with ASD. Discussion: In conclusion, epilepsy in the ASD population leads to a reduction in cognitive and linguistic abilities, which respond to the different types of epilepsy and their location, significantly impacting the quality of life and basic activities of daily living of the user with ASD.

Case report: Assessment of linguistic, cognitive, and sensory profile competencies in a child with ASD and epilepsy.

Introduction: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and epilepsy pose significant challenges for early diagnosis during childhood. Current scientific literature does not reflect robust action protocols that allow for a detailed screening of difficulties in this population, especially in areas such as language, cognition, and sensory profile. Additionally, detecting epilepsy before the age of 4 is established as a major current public health challenge in our society. Objective: The aim was to evaluate a patient exhibiting symptoms compatible with both ASD and epilepsy, determining the linguistic, cognitive, and sensory profile through a clinical assessment protocol. Furthermore, the objective included establishing a diagnosis of ASD. Method: This single-case study (N = 1) presents the evaluation of a 7-year-old patient with suspected ASD, experiencing a decline in linguistic and cognitive competencies following a documented epileptic episode. Evaluation was conducted using instruments such as CELF-5, PROLEC-R, WISC-V, ENFEN, PS-2, ADI-R, and ADOS-2. Results: Following assessment of language, cognition, sensory aspects, and behaviors associated with ASD, the diagnosis of ASD was confirmed in the patient, along with impairments in expressive and receptive language, executive functioning, and alterations in the sensory profile. Conclusion: Diagnosing ASD and epilepsy, as well as their evaluation, is a complex process requiring interdisciplinary assessment involving a detailed exploration of all functional competencies in individuals with this comorbidity. Future studies should focus on creating and improving existing protocols to develop optimal and effective evaluation strategies for assessing this population during childhood.

Evaluación de las competencias lingüísticas en una adolescente con síndrome de alcoholismo fetal: Un estudio de un caso / Speech therapy assessment of language skills in a teenager with foetal alcohol syndrome: A case study

El presente estudio de caso presenta la evaluación de una paciente adolescente de 17años, adoptada en los países del Este, con discapacidad intelectual límite y problemas sensoriales. Tras la evaluación inicial se diagnosticó un trastorno del desarrollo del lenguaje de tipo fonológico-sintáctico, con comorbilidad con dislexia evolutiva e importantes problemas sensoriales. Paralelamente al diagnóstico se postuló que la adolescente sufriría síndrome de alcoholismo fetal asociado a la exposición prenatal al alcohol, tanto por su cuadro clínico como por las sospechas de su historial de adopción.(AU)

The present case study presents the speech therapy evaluation of a 17-year-old adolescent patient, adopted in an Eastern country, with borderline intellectual disability and sensory problems. After the initial evaluation, a specific lexical-syntactic language disorder was diagnosed, with comorbidity with evolutionary dyslexia and severe sensorial problems. Parallel to the diagnosis, it was postulated that the adolescent had foetal alcohol syndrome associated with prenatal alcohol exposure, both due to her clinical condition and suspicion from her adoption history. After a year of speech therapy intervention, the girl showed no improvement.(AU)

Validation of the Spanish version of the Childhood Executive Functioning Inventory (CHEXI) in 4-5 year-old children

Contexto:El Childhood Executive Functioning Inventory (CHEXI) se diseñó para detectar déficit de Funciones Ejecutivas (FE) en contextos de la vida diaria.El propósito del presente estudio era validar la versión española del CHEXI para niños de 4 y 5 años. Método:Se obtuvie-ron las valoraciones de los padres y las puntuaciones en test de laboratorio en una muestra de 445 niños de 4 años (196 niñas, 249niños) yotra de 459 niños de 5 años (208 niñas, 251 niños). Un año más tarde se volvieron a re-coger las valoraciones de los padres en CHEXI. Resultados:Se replicó la es-tructura de dos factores de CHEXI(Memoria de Trabajo e Inhibición), ob-teniendo una alta consistencia interna y estabilidad temporal. Los niños de 4 años eran valorados con mayor déficit en FE que los niños de 5 años. Los niños alcanzaban puntuaciones más elevadas de déficit de FE. Sin em-bargo, no aparecieron diferencias significativas de géneroen las pruebas conductuales. Finalmente, se encontró una baja asociación entre las valora-ciones de CHEXI y las puntuaciones de las pruebas conductuales. Este re-sultado sugiere que los inventarios y las medidas conductuales evalúan dife-rentes aspectos de las FE.Conclusiones:La versión española de CHEXI ofrece un instrumento válido para evaluar las FE en niños de 4 y 5 años.(AU)

Background:The Childhood Executive Functioning Inventory (CHEXI) was designed to identify EF deficits in daily life contexts.The aim of the present study was to validate the Spanish version of the CHEXI in 4-5-year-old children.Method: Parents’ ratings of the CHEXI and labora-tory tests of EF were investigated in two large samples of 445 children aged 4 years (196 girls, 249 boys)and 459 children aged 5 years (208 girls, 251 boys). CHEXI ratings were collected again after one-year. Results:The two-factor structure of the CHEXI (i.e., Working Memory and Inhibition) was replicated, showing high internal consistency and temporal stability. The 4-year-olds were reported to have higher EF deficits than 5-year-olds have. Boys were rated as having higher EF deficits than girls were. Howev-er, gender differences were not significant contrasting performance on EF tasks. Finally, associations between CHEXI ratings and EF tests were weak, suggesting that EF tests and EF ratings capture different aspects of EF. Conclusions:The Spanish CHEXI provides a suitable instrument to as-sess EF in 4-5-year-old children.(AU)

Allophonic perception of VOT contrasts in Spanish children with dyslexia.

INTRODUCTION: Previous studies have evidenced a different mode of speech perception in dyslexia, characterized by the use of allophonic rather than phonemic units. People with dyslexia perceive phonemic features (such as voicing) less accurately than typical readers, but they perceive allophonic features (i.e., language-independent differences between speech sounds) more accurately. METHOD: In this study, we investigated the perception of voicing contrasts in a sample of 204 Spanish children with or without dyslexia. Identification and discrimination data were collected for synthetic sounds varying along three different voice onset time (VOT) continua (ba/pa, de/te, and di/ti). Empirical data will be contrasted with a mathematical model of allophonic perception building up from neural oscillations and auditory temporal processing. RESULTS: Children with dyslexia exhibited a general deficit in categorical precision; that is, they discriminated among phonemically contrastive pairs (around 0-ms VOT) less accurately than did chronological age controls, irrespective of the stimulus continuum. Children with dyslexia also exhibited a higher sensitivity in the discrimination of allophonic features (around ±30-ms VOT), but only for the stimulus continuum that was based on a nonlexical contrast (ba/pa). CONCLUSION: Fitting the neural network model to the data collected for this continuum suggests that allophonic perception is due to a deficit in "subharmonic coupling" between high-frequency oscillations. Relationships with "temporal sampling framework" theory are discussed.

EEG Connectivity Analysis Using Denoising Autoencoders for the Detection of Dyslexia.

The Temporal Sampling Framework (TSF) theorizes that the characteristic phonological difficulties of dyslexia are caused by an atypical oscillatory sampling at one or more temporal rates. The LEEDUCA study conducted a series of Electroencephalography (EEG) experiments on children listening to amplitude modulated (AM) noise with slow-rythmic prosodic (0.5-1[Formula: see text]Hz), syllabic (4-8[Formula: see text]Hz) or the phoneme (12-40[Formula: see text]Hz) rates, aimed at detecting differences in perception of oscillatory sampling that could be associated with dyslexia. The purpose of this work is to check whether these differences exist and how they are related to children's performance in different language and cognitive tasks commonly used to detect dyslexia. To this purpose, temporal and spectral inter-channel EEG connectivity was estimated, and a denoising autoencoder (DAE) was trained to learn a low-dimensional representation of the connectivity matrices. This representation was studied via correlation and classification analysis, which revealed ability in detecting dyslexic subjects with an accuracy higher than 0.8, and balanced accuracy around 0.7. Some features of the DAE representation were significantly correlated ([Formula: see text]) with children's performance in language and cognitive tasks of the phonological hypothesis category such as phonological awareness and rapid symbolic naming, as well as reading efficiency and reading comprehension. Finally, a deeper analysis of the adjacency matrix revealed a reduced bilateral connection between electrodes of the temporal lobe (roughly the primary auditory cortex) in DD subjects, as well as an increased connectivity of the F7 electrode, placed roughly on Broca's area. These results pave the way for a complementary assessment of dyslexia using more objective methodologies such as EEG.

Estudio del lenguaje en las diferentes fases de la enfermedad de Alzheimer a través del Test de Boston / Study of language in the different phases of Alzheimer's disease through the Boston Test

Introducción. El incremento en la esperanza de vida en las sociedades desarrolladas ha provocado un aumento en la aparición de enfermedades que son desconocidas por el mundo médico y científico, y por tanto difíciles de abarcar por la comunidad terapéutica. El objetivo de este trabajo es el análisis exhaustivo del progreso en el deterioro de cada una de las áreas del lenguaje en las diferentes fases de la enfermedad de Alzheimer (EA). De esta forma, se podrá planificar la intervención del logopeda en estos pacientes en función de la fase en que se encuentren. Metodología. Para ello se ha diseñado un estudio para evaluar distintos aspectos del proceso cognitivo del lenguaje mediante la utilización del Test de Boston. Esta investigación se ha llevado a cabo con 32 participantes, de los cuales 8 no estaban diagnosticados de EA, 8 estaban diagnosticados de EA en la fase leve, 8 estaban diagnosticados de EA en la fase moderada y, por último, 8 estaban diagnosticados con EA en la fase grave, con el fin de poder estudiar cómo se van alterando las habilidades lingüísticas en las diferentes fases de la enfermedad. Resultados. Los resultados muestran cómo a medida que progresa la enfermedad, el habla espontánea, la comprensión auditiva y la expresión oral van deteriorándose en los participantes diagnosticados de EA. Sin embargo, no en todas las áreas del lenguaje el deterioro avanza de igual forma; de hecho, en el área de habla espontánea los participantes en fase leve ya comienzan a mostrar un deterioro significativo con respecto al grupo control. Sin embargo, dentro del área de comprensión auditiva, los participantes diagnosticados de EA son capaces de realizar de forma satisfactoria la tarea de discriminación auditiva, incluso en fases avanzadas de la enfermedad. Discusión y conclusiones. En esta investigación se observa cómo el curso de la alteración de las capacidades comunicativas difiere a lo largo del curso de la EA. Por ello, resalta la necesidad de estudiar en profundidad sus áreas del lenguaje para así ayudar a la planificación de la intervención del logopeda en cada momento específico de la enfermedad (AU)

Introduction. The increase in life expectancy in developed societies has led to an rise in the appearance of diseases that are unknown by the medical and scientific world and, therefore, are difficult to cover by the therapeutic community. The Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease that has multiple cognitive disorders, being especially relevant the language impairment displayed by patients diagnosed with the disease. The objective of this research is the exhaustive analysis of the progress in the deterioration of each of the areas of language in the different phases of AD. Thus, the intervention of the speech therapist can be planned in these patients depending on the phase in which they are. Method. We have designed a study to evaluate various aspects of the cognitive process of language using the Boston Test. We have worked with 32 individuals, eight of which were not diagnosed with AD, eight diagnosed with AD in mild stage, eight with AD in moderate stage and finally, eight were diagnosed with AD in advanced stage. We analysed how it is disrupting language abilities at different stages of the disease. Results. The results show how Spontaneous Speech, Listening Comprehension and Oral Expression will be deteriorate in these patients as the disease progresses. However, deterioration does not proceed in the same way in all areas of language. In the Spontaneous Speech area, participants in the mild stage already begin to show a significant deterioration with respect to the control group. On the other hand, within the area of Listening Comprehension, all participants diagnosed with AD successfully perform the auditory discrimination task, even in advanced stages of the disease. Discussion and conclusions. This research shows how the course of the alteration of the communicative capacities differs along the course of AD. Therefore, it highlights the need to study in more depth the language of the AD to help planning a speech therapy intervention in each specific phase of the illness (AU)

A self-report questionnaire on reading-writing difficulties for adults / Autoinforme de Trastornos Lectores para AdultoS (ATLAS)

In this paper a self-report questionnaire on reading-writing difficulties for adults in Spanish (ATLAS) is presented. Studies that use selfreport questionnaires as a tool for screening of reading-writing difficulties in adults were reviewed. Two studies were carried out to determine the validity and reliability of ATLAS. The first study was aimed to select the critical items and to assess their reliability and their ability to discriminate. In the second study the assessment reported through the answers to the questionnaire was contrasted with the results of psychometric tests. Results showed that (a) items were suitable descriptors for adult difficulties, (b) there were significant correlations between self-report scores and reading measures, and (c) the items discriminate between good and poor readers. The results of this study demonstrated that ATLAS is a sensitive tool to screen adults with reading difficulties. As a further advantage, ATLAS is aneasy-to-use and time-saving instrument

En este trabajo se presenta un cuestionario de autoinforme de trastornos lectores para adultos en español (ATLAS). Se comienza por revisar las investigaciones que demuestran la utilidad y la fiabilidad de los autoinformes como instrumento para valorar las habilidades lectoescritoras de los adultos. A continuación se describe un estudio destinado a seleccionar los ítems críticos en función de su capacidad discriminativa. Este estudio permitió la elaboración de la versión final del autoinforme. Finalmente, en un segundo estudio se contrastan los datos recogidos a través del autoinforme con los obtenidos mediante pruebas psicométricas en una población universitaria. Los resultados indican que los ítems permiten (a) describir las principales dificultades de lectoescritura y (b) discriminar entre normolectores y estudiantes con dificultades. Por otra, (c) los resultados muestran que la autovaloración realizada mediante el autoinforme coincide con las medidas obtenidas mediante pruebas objetivas. Estos resultados apoyan la utilidad y fiabilidad del uso del ATLAS para detectar adultos con trastornos de lectoescritura. Presenta, además, la ventaja de ser fácil y rápido de usar

Beyond decoding deficit: inhibitory effect of positional syllable frequency in dyslexic Spanish children.

This study explores whether activation and inhibition word processes contribute to the characteristic speed deficits found in transparent orthographies (Wimmer, Appl Psycholinguist 14:1-33, 1993). A second and fourth grade sample of normal school readers and dyslexic school readers participated in a lexical decision task. Words were manipulated according to two factors: word frequency (high vs. low) and syllable frequency (high vs. low). It has been repeatedly found that words with high-frequency syllables require extra time for deactivating the lexical syllabic neighbors: the so-called inhibitory effect of positional frequency syllable (Carreiras et al., J Mem Lang 32:766-780, 1993). We hypothesized that dyslexic readers would show a stronger inhibitory effect than normal readers because they are slower decoders and they may also be slower at the activation and inhibition of word representations that are competing (i.e., syllabic candidates). Results indicated an interaction between word and syllable frequency (i.e., a strong inhibitory effect was found in the low-frequency word condition). According to our hypothesis, the inhibitory effect size was almost three times bigger in dyslexics than in the normal readers. This difference shows an alteration, not a developmental lag. Interestingly, the inhibitory effect size did not interact with school grade. Thus, reading experience did not impact the lexical processes involved on the inhibitory effect. Our outcomes showed how activation and/or inhibition of lexical processes can contribute to the lack of speed beyond decoding deficit.