Home Learning Environment and Screen Time Differentially Mediate the Relationship Between Socioeconomic Status and Preschoolers' Learning and Behavioural Profiles.

Environmental variables related to the home context, including home literacy and numeracy, screen exposure and Socioeconomic Status (SES) are potential risks or protective factors for children's academic achievements and behaviour. The present multi-informant study aims to contribute to this issue by investigating SES's direct and indirect relationships in early learning (i.e., literacy, numeracy, and cognitive) and behavioural skills within a large sample of young children. One parent and one teacher for each of 1660 preschoolers filled out a questionnaire investigating SES, tablet and TV use, home learning activities, behavioural problems/strengths (parents' questionnaire), and children's learning skills and behaviour (teachers' questionnaire). Results of path analysis showed that tablet time and home learning environment mediate the effect of SES on early learning as assessed by teachers; as for the home learning environment, it was also a mediator of the relationship between SES and behavioural problems. Implications of these results for research in the field and educational policies are discussed.

Teachers' report of sense of time in kindergarten predicts children's time-processing skills in first grade.

The main aim of this longitudinal study was to evaluate if a questionnaire measuring the sense of time, filled in by teachers and parents in the last year of kindergarten, was able to predict children's time-processing skills at the end of 1st grade. The sample included 131 children (initial mean age = 4.77 ± 0.29 years) tested three times in a 2-year period with tasks of time reproduction, time discrimination, and comparison of durations. One of their parents and teachers filled in a questionnaire about children's sense of time both in kindergarten and 1st grade. The teacher version of the questionnaire administered in kindergarten was able to predict most of the time-processing tasks at the end of 1st grade. The parent version of the questionnaire was not able to predict children's performance in these tasks. Different developmental trajectories of time reproduction and time discrimination were observed. This study supports the role of preschool teachers as skilled evaluators of children's time-processing skills.

Validation of the Italian version of the Power of Food Scale in the adult population.

PURPOSE: The Power of Food Scale (PFS) is designed to measure the personal susceptibility to highly processed and palatable foods. The purpose of this study was to validate the Italian version of PFS (PFS-It) in the adult population. METHODS: Data were obtained from 536 Italian adults aged between 18 and 86 years. The PFS-It and the Binge Eating Scale (BES) were administered to all participants. RESULTS: The factorial structure of the PFS-It was investigated using a CFA that returned excellent fit indices. The Cronbach's alpha coefficients for the PFS-It total score and for its subscales (Food Available, Food Present, and Food Tasted), as well as for the BES total score, revealed good to moderate reliability. Finally, PFS-It was positively and significantly correlated with BES. CONCLUSION: To our knowledge, this is the first study to propose the norms and psychometric characteristics of the Power of Food Scale in an Italian population. The results show that PFS-it is a valid and reliable instrument for the measurement of Hedonic Hunger in an adult Italian population. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level V, cross-sectional descriptive study.

The influence of classroom seating arrangement on children's cognitive processes in primary school: the role of individual variables.

To date, despite the great debate regarding the best seating arrangement for learning in classrooms, no empirical studies have examined the direct effects of different seating arrangements on children's cognitive processes. This is particularly important nowadays that the COVID-19 measures include maintaining distance in the classroom. Aim of this study was experimentally investigating the effect of changing the seating arrangement (clusters vs. single desks), on logical reasoning, creativity and theory of mind, in children attending primary school. Furthermore, some individual characteristics (e.g., gender, loneliness, popularity) were analysed as potential moderators. Results on 77 participants showed that, when children were seated in single desks, their score in logical reasoning was globally higher. Furthermore, when seated in single desks, girls showed a better performance in the theory of mind, and lonelier children performed better in theory of mind and creativity. This on field experimental study suggests the importance of considering both the nature of the task and children's individual characteristics when deciding on a seating arrangement in the classroom.

Time processing impairments in preschoolers at risk of developing difficulties in mathematics.

The occurrence of time processing problems in individuals with Development Dyscalculia (DD) has favored the view of a general magnitude system devoted to both numerical and temporal information. Yet, this scenario has been partially challenged by studies indicating that time difficulties can be attributed to poor calculation or counting skills, which can support reasoning on time in school-aged children and adults. Here, we tackle this debate by exploring the performance of young children before they fully develop the symbolic number system. Preschoolers at risk of developing DD were compared with typically developing children in a series of tasks investigating time processing and in their 'sense of time', evaluated by parents and teachers. Results yielded a poorer performance in time reproduction of 5-second intervals and in time discrimination, as well as a weaker 'sense of time', in children at risk of DD. These findings provide evidence of a common magnitude system that would be responsible for deficits in both numerical and temporal domains, already at early stages of life.

The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire-Parents for Italian School-Aged Children: Psychometric Properties and Norms.

The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire [SDQ; (1)] is a multi-informant instrument for screening developmental psychopathology. This study contributes to the validation of the Italian SDQ-Parent version (SDQ-P), analyzing its factorial structure, providing norms and investigating cross-informant agreement (parents-teachers). The SDQ-P and the SDQ-Teacher version (SDQ-T) were completed for 1917 primary and middle school students. Confirmatory factor analyses were performed to compare two factorial structures: the original five-factor model and the structure obtained in a past Italian study (2). The original model showed the best fit. Significant differences by gender and school grade were found; norms were provided separately for males and females attending 1st-2nd, 3rd-5th and 6th-8th grades. Finally, the analysis of parent-teacher agreement showed correlations ranging from small (prosocial behavior) to large (hyperactivity-inattention). This study offers some reflections on the best way to use this instrument in a community sample.

Developmental changes in the cognitive and educational profiles of children and adolescents with 22q11.2 deletion syndrome.

BACKGROUND: 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11DS) is the most common microdeletion syndrome in humans. The presence of learning difficulty is reported in the majority of individuals with 22q11DS, but there is considerable heterogeneity in cognitive and educational profiles and in the age-related changes. METHOD: Verbal, non-verbal and spatial abilities, and educational attainment of 18 children and adolescents with 22q11DS were assessed at two time points 5 years apart. RESULTS: There was a decline in full-scale IQ, with a sharper decline in verbal than non-verbal skills, whereas spatial abilities remained stable over time. Individual profile analysis revealed discrepancies between full-scale IQ and reading skills, suggestive of "hyperlexia," for more than two-thirds of participants. CONCLUSIONS: The relative strength in verbal ability observed in 22q11DS is more apparent when children are younger, and a more even cognitive profile is observed in older children and adolescents. Educational attainments keep pace with development, and literacy skills are globally higher than might be expected from full-scale IQ.

Dyslexia and dyscalculia: which neuropsychological processes distinguish the two developmental disorders?

This study analyses the specific neuropsychological profiles of children with dyslexia and/or dyscalculia, in particular concerning phonological awareness, lexical access, working memory and numerical processing. Four groups were selected, through a screening process that used strict criteria, from 1568 7-10-year-old children: 90 with typical development, 61 with dyslexia, 13 with dyscalculia, and 14 with dyslexia + dyscalculia. Children with dyslexia show a deficit in phonological processing, lexical access, and verbal working memory, especially with alphabetic stimuli. Children with developmental dyscalculia show a deficit of phonological processing, verbal working memory with digits and visual-spatial working memory. They also show an impairment in spatial representation of numbers and in the automatic access to numerical semantics to a greater extent than those with double disturbance. Children with dyslexia + dyscalculia show a profile generally characterized by the summation of the deficits of the two disorders, although they have a lower deficit in access to numerical semantics and mental representation of numbers.

Associations between social isolation and parenting stress during the first wave of COVID-19 in Italian children with special educational needs.

The parents of 413 children with typical development (TD) or special educational needs (SEN) filled in an online survey to investigate the associations between the restrictions introduced to face COVID-19 and parenting stress and parental disciplinary practices. The parents of children with SEN showed a significantly higher stress level than TD children's parents. However, they showed a lower inclination to overreact. In both groups, the parents who feel less supported, feel their needs threatened, and report having a child with more difficulties were more likely to exhibit parenting stress. Data on the associations between COVID-19 restrictions and the stress perceived by parents could help to focus the attention of the public health system on their parents' needs, leading to practices aimed to prevent parenting stress and burnout.

Emotion Regulation Strategies as Risk Factors for Developmental Psychopathology: a Meta-analytic Review of Longitudinal Studies based on Cross-lagged Correlations and Panel Models.

Cross-sectional relationships between emotion regulation strategies (ERSs) and several psychopathological conditions among children and adolescents have been well-demonstrated. However, the longitudinal associations of ERSs on psychopathological manifestations during development remain unclear, especially considering their reciprocal influences over time. This meta-analytic review was based on a set of ERSs referring to a comprehensive evidence-based model of ER processes. Three hundred thirty-five studies were screened. The meta-analytic procedures were based on 60 studies (N = 20, 191; age: M [SD] = 10.27 [4.36]; years of follow-up: M [SD] = 2.23 [2.76]), which primarily assessed prospective associations between ERt1 and internalizing/externalizing psychopathology (PSY)t2. The cross-lagged correlations among these variables were also considered. Results showed: i) a small prospective association between ERt1 and PSY t2, which was independent of age and length of follow-up period. Adaptive and maladaptive domains of ER were significant moderators. Deficits in adaptive ER seemed more associated to externalizing PSY, whereas maladaptive ER was more associated to internalizing PSY; ii) cross-lagged correlations were comparable with ERt1 - PSY t2 associations. Nevertheless, the detrimental effects of PSY t1 on levels of adaptive ERt2 were larger than the protective effects of adaptive ERt1 on PSYt2. iii) When the other cross-lagged correlations were controlled for, the meta-analytic cross-lagged panel model demonstrated that maladaptive ERt1 was a significant predictor of PSYt2. ER processes should be considered transdiagnostic risk factors for psychopathology during development. Homotypic and heterotypic continuity of psychopathological conditions might reflect the stability or dynamic organization of adaptive and maladaptive ERSs over time.

Eye-Movements in a Text Reading Task: A Comparison of Preterm Children, Children with Dyslexia and Typical Readers.

Preterm birth is associated with weaknesses in reading skills that are usually less severe than those of children with dyslexia. To understand the characteristics of reading processes in preterm children, we adopted a cross-population and multi-modal approach comparing eye movements in reading tasks among three groups: children with preterm birth, children with a diagnosis of dyslexia, and children with typical development. The study involved 78 participants (10.5 years). Eye movements (number and duration of fixations, amplitude and number of saccades, number of regressions) were recorded during the silent reading of two texts; cognitive and reading standardized tasks were also administered. Children with dyslexia had more fixations and more frequent and smaller saccades compared to the preterm group and children with typical development. They also showed more regressions compared to the control group. Preterm children showed shorter fixations compared to the other groups. Cognitive and reading standardized tasks confirmed severe delays in reading in children with dyslexia and some weaknesses in text reading speed and comprehension in preterm children. These results are discussed with reference to candidate mechanisms that underlie reading processes in preterm children and considering possible implications for research.

Genetic factors linked to aberrant neural activity of individuals with substance use disorder phenotypes: A systematic review and meta-analysis of EEG studies.

Background: Alterations in EEG activity have been considered valid endophenotypes of substance use disorders (SUDs). Empirical evidence has supported the association between genetic factors (e.g., genes, single nucleotide polymorphisms [SNPs]) and SUDs, considering both clinical samples and individuals with a positive family history of SUDs [F+SUD]). Nevertheless, the relationship between genetic factors and intermediate phenotypes (i.e., altered EEG activity) among individuals with SUD phenotypes remains unclear.Objective(s): The current study aims at summarizing genetic factors linked to aberrant EEG activity among individuals with SUDs and those with F+SUD.Methods: Sixteen studies (5 [N = 986] + 11 from the Collaborative Studies On Genetics of Alcoholism [COGA] sample [432 ≤ N ≤ 8810]) were included for a qualitative systematic review. Thirteen studies (5 + 8 studies from the COGA sample) were used for multi-level meta-analytic procedures.Results: Qualitative analyses highlighted a multivariate genetic architecture linked to alterations in EEG waves among individuals with SUD phenotypes (i.e., augmented resting-state beta waves; reduced resting-state alpha waves; reduced resting-state and task-dependent theta waves). The most recurrent genetic factors were involved in cellular energy homeostasis, modulation of inhibitory and excitatory neural activity together with neural cell growth. Meta-analytic results showed a moderate association between genetic factors and altered resting-state and task-dependent EEG activity. Meta-analytic results also suggested non-additive genetic effects on altered EEG activity.Conclusions: Complex genetic interactions mediating neural activity and brain development might constitute a causal pathway toward intermediate phenotypes associated with phenotypic features, which in turn are linked to SUDs.

The neuropsychological correlates of (sluggish) cognitive tempo scales in school-aged children.

Sluggish Cognitive Tempo (SCT) is a neuropsychiatric construct including lethargy, behavioral sluggishness, and confusion. A growing number of studies in the literature suggest that this set of symptoms refers to neuropsychological constructs such as sustained attention. However, studies focusing on SCT and its neuropsychological correlates in developmental age are scarce. The present study aims to fill this gap. The Child and Adolescent Behavior Inventory (CABI - Teacher and Parent versions, also including the school functioning scale, and the Child Concentration Inventory (CCI-2) were administered to a sample of 128 Italian primary-school children (57.6% F, mean age 8.81, SD 1.07); the neuropsychological constructs involved in the study were sustained attention and reaction times to two computerized tasks. Bivariate non-parametric correlation analyses yielded significant negative associations between teacher-referred SCT and measures of sustained attention (e.g., the Attentional Network Test and the Hearts and Flowers task) as well as CABI-T school-functioning scale; a small-to-moderate positive correlation was found between CABI-T SCT scores and mean reaction times, as a measure of the slowness of behavioral responses on the Attentional Network Test: this result would appear to represent a fine operationalization of the SCT-characteristic of behavioral sluggishness. Implications of these results for operationalizing the SCT construct in developmental age are discussed.

Symbolic versus non-symbolic training for improving early numeracy in preschoolers at risk of developing difficulties in mathematics.

BACKGROUND: Children's understanding of symbolic (e.g., Arabic digits) and non-symbolic (e.g., sets of dots) magnitudes plays a key role in their mathematics achievement, but only a few studies directly compared the effects of symbolic and non-symbolic interventions on mathematical abilities. AIMS: This longitudinal study compared the impact of symbolic and non-symbolic trainings in a group of preschoolers at risk of developing difficulties in mathematics (RM), analyzing their post-intervention performance both in early math skills (last preschool year) and in mathematics achievement in 1st grade. METHODS: Eighty-nine RM children and 66 typically developing controls were selected from among 604 preschoolers. RM children were assigned to three intervention conditions: no intervention, symbolic or non-symbolic intervention. RESULTS: Results showed specific effects on tasks related to the training (e.g., effects of symbolic training on symbolic tasks) and some effects of generalization (e.g., effects of symbolic training on non-symbolic tasks). In 1st grade, children attending the symbolic intervention showed a mathematics achievement profile similar to that of typically developing peers. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest the importance of training the symbolic processing of numbers at preschool age, allowing at risk children to catch up with their peers before entering formal schooling.

Magnitude Comparisons, Number Knowledge and Calculation in VeryPreterm Children and Children With Specific Learning Disability: A Cross-Population Study Using Eye-Tracking.

Difficulties in mathematics have been described in very preterm children, but their origins are not well understood and may differ from other populations with specific learning disability. Very preterm children, children with learning disability, and typically developing children were compared in mathematics skills, using standardized tools, experimental tasks, and eye-tracker measures. We assessed symbolic and nonsymbolic magnitude comparisons, number knowledge, calculation, as well as cognitive skills of 103 Italian-speaking fourth and fifth graders. Compared to typically developing peers, very preterm children showed delays in number knowledge, slower reaction times in nonsymbolic magnitude comparisons, and an atypical gaze exploration characterized by more and shorter fixations that lacked a target preference. The profile of mathematics skills of very preterm children appeared different from that of children with learning disability. Although both populations showed mainly preserved cognitive skills and slower reaction times in nonsymbolic magnitude comparisons, children with specific learning disability showed more severe impairments in calculation and were slower in symbolic magnitude comparisons, compared to very preterm children. Including eye-tracking measures in preterm follow-up programs and planning tailored interventions are recommended.

Decision-making factors in prenatal testing: A systematic review.

This review examines the factors that affect the decision-making process of parental couples evaluating prenatal screening and diagnostic tests. A systematic search was performed using PubMed and PsycInfo databases. The 46 included studies had to: investigate the decision-making process about prenatal testing; focus on tests detecting trisomy 21, 18, 13, and abnormalities of sex chromosomes; be published in English peer-reviewed journals. The decision-making process seems composed of different levels: an individual level with demographic, clinical, and psychological aspects; a contextual level related to the technical features of the test and the information received; a relational level involving family and society.

Predictors of Children's Early Numeracy: Environmental Variables, Intergenerational Pathways, and Children's Cognitive, Linguistic, and Non-symbolic Number Skills.

Early numeracy skills in preschool years have been found to be related to a variety of different factors, including Approximate Number System (ANS) skills, children's cognitive and linguistic skills, and environmental variables such as home numeracy activities. The present study aimed to analyze the differential role of environmental variables, intergenerational patterns, children's cognitive and linguistic skills, and their ANS in supporting early math skills. The sample included 64 children in their last year of kindergarten and one parent of each child. Children were administered a battery of cognitive and linguistic tasks, and a non-symbolic comparison task as a measure of ANS. Parents were administered similar tasks assessing cognitive skills, math skills, and ANS skills (estimation and non-symbolic comparison), together with a questionnaire on home numeracy. Results showed that home numeracy predicted children's early math skills better than a number of parent and child variables. Considering children's skills, their ability in the non-symbolic magnitude comparison task was the strongest predictor of early math skills. Results reinforce the importance of the role of home numeracy activities and children's ANS skills above that of parents' math skills.

Rumination and Emotional Profile in Children with Specific Learning Disorders and Their Parents.

Rumination, namely a cognitive process characterized by a repetitive thinking focused on negative feelings and thoughts, is a significant predictor for the onset of internalizing symptoms and has also been found to run in families. Rumination has never been studied in children with specific learning disorders (SLD), a population that, due to its condition, might encounter more difficulties in daily life and is at risk of increased psychological distress, compared to typically developing (TD) peers. The present study covers this gap by examining whether children with SLD, and their parents, tend to use rumination more than TD peers and their parents. The study also explores associations between rumination and both children's and parents' emotional profile. Results on 25 children with SLD and 25 TD peers and their parents (n = 150), showed higher levels of rumination in children with SLD when referring to a negative social situation, as well as higher levels of rumination in both mothers and fathers of children with SLD. Modest correlations between parents' and children's rumination traits were also found. This study offers evidence on rumination as a possible risk factor for children with SLD, particularly considering when they deal with social contexts.

Teachers, not parents, are able to predict time processing skills in preschoolers.

Time processing difficulties are associated with developmental disorders. Questionnaires for assessing children's sense of time are available from primary school, but we lack valid proxy-report tools for younger children, who are not able to complete self-reports. This study aimed to assess the criterion validity of a questionnaire investigating preschoolers' sense of time from the points of view of their parents and teachers. One hundred seventy preschoolers were included in the sample. Their parents and teachers completed the Sense of Time Questionnaire, and the children were administered time reproduction and time discrimination tasks, both concurrently and 7 months later. The assessment of preschoolers' sense of time reported by teachers, but not by parents, predicted the children's time processing skills both concurrently and longitudinally. The teacher version of the Sense of Time Questionnaire constitutes a valid instrument for assessing and predicting preschoolers' time processing skills and can be used for clinical and research purposes STATEMENT OF CONTRIBUTION: What is already known on this subject? Time processing difficulties are associated with developmental disorders such as ADHD and dyscalculia. Early assessment of time processing skills is important for clinical (e.g., screening) and research purposes. We do not have valid questionnaires for assessing sense of time in young children. What the present study adds? The sense of time ability reported by teachers predicts preschoolers' time processing skills. The sense of time ability reported by parents does not predicts preschoolers' time processing skills. The Sense of Time Questionnaire is a valid instrument for investigating time processing skills of 4-6 aged children.

The profile of very preterm children on academic achievement. A cross-population comparison with children with specific learning disorders.

BACKGROUND: Very preterm (VPT) children showed delays in reading, spelling and maths, but their academic achievement profile is not clearly understood. AIMS: VPT children were compared with children with specific learning disorders (SLD) and typically developing (TD) children on academic achievement, considering cognitive and linguistic phenotypic markers. A learning profile analysis was also performed. METHODS: We included 170 10-year old monolingual Italian-speaking children (37 VPT, 28 SLD, 105 TD) assessing cognitive, linguistic and academic skills. RESULTS: On academic achievements VPT children fell behind TD peers in some reading (text speed, comprehension), spelling (non-word), and math (number knowledge, written calculations and problem-solving) tasks. SLD children underperformed in all academic tasks with respect to VPT and TD peers. Concerning cognitive and linguistic phenotypic markers, compared to TD peers, VPT children showed lower scores in verbal IQ and phonological fluency, SLD children in phonological processing and rapid automatized naming. VPT children showed a higher rate of at-risk performance in reading compared to TD group, but a minor percentage of impaired profiles and comorbidity among learning areas compared to SLD group. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: The academic achievement profile of VPT children shows persistent delays, but it differs to that of SLD children, since delays are less widespread and severe, and differences were found in phenotypic markers and comorbidity. Follow-up programs and effective interventions are needed for VPT children.