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BACKGROUND There is very little research on the cognitive profile of young children with Williams syndrome (WS). METHOD The present study utilised the Differential Ability Scales - Second Edition to examine the early cognitive abilities of 22 young children with WS (aged 3.98 to 7.70 years, 10 male and 12 female participants). RESULTS Overall, IQ ranged from 38 (severely impaired) to 81.00 (low average). Consistent with Mervis et al. who looked at an older sample, over half (59.08%) of our young WS sample showed a significant and abnormal weakness in spatial ability relative to verbal ability. Moreover, 81.82% showed a significant and clinically unusual weakness in spatial ability relative to nonverbal reasoning ability. At the subtest level, only 4.55% of our sample showed a significant strength in naming vocabulary compared with verbal comprehension, while 13.64% showed a significant weakness in naming vocabulary relative to verbal comprehension. CONCLUSIONS The results of the present study show cognitive heterogeneity, consistent with the literature on older children and adults with WS. There were variable levels of intellect and variable patterns of cognitive strength and weakness across both index and subtest scores. Findings highlight the need for individual assessment and management of young children with WS but also indicate that for the majority of WS individuals spatial skills are indeed an area of significant and abnormal weakness and should be a focus for early intervention.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Microstructural white matter abnormalities on DTI using Tract-Based Spatial Statistics at term-equivalent age are associated with cognitive and motor outcomes at 2 years of age or younger. However, neurodevelopmental tests administered at such early time points are insufficiently predictive of mild-moderate motor and cognitive impairment at school age. Our objective was to evaluate the microstructural antecedents of cognitive and motor outcomes at 3 years' corrected age in a cohort of very preterm infants. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We prospectively recruited 101 very preterm infants (

The present study examined the factor structure of the Differential Ability Scales–Second Edition (DAS-II) core subtests from the standardization sample via confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) using methods (bifactor modeling and variance partitioning) and procedures (robust model estimation due to nonnormal subtest score distributions) recommended but not included in the DAS-II Introductory and Technical Handbook. CFAs were conducted with the three DAS-II standardization sample age groups (lower early years [age = 2:6–3:5 years], upper early years [age = 3:6–6:11 years], school age [7:0–17:11 years]) using standardization sample raw data provided by NCS Pearson, Inc. Although most DAS-II core subtests were properly associated with the theoretically proposed group factors, both the higher order and bifactor models indicated that the g factor accounted for large portions of total and common variance, whereas the group factors (Verbal, Nonverbal, Spatial) accounted for small portions of total and common variance. The DAS-II core battery provides strong measurement of general intelligence, and clinical interpretation should be primarily, if not exclusively, at that level.

Objective Computer-assisted interventions (CAIs) are popular for educating children with autism, but their effectiveness is not well established. This study evaluated the effectiveness of 1 CAI designed to improve children’s language, cognitive, and academic skills, TeachTown: Basics, in a large urban school district. Method Teachers (n = 59) in autism support classrooms and their consented students in kindergarten through second grade (n = 154) were randomized to TeachTown: Basics or waitlist control. Child outcome was measured at baseline and after 1 academic year using the Bracken Basic Concepts Scale–Receptive and Expressive versions and the Differential Ability Scales, Second Edition (DAS-II). Random effects regression models that included clustering of time within students and students within classrooms were used to test whether the change over time in each outcome differed between groups. Results There were no statistically significant differences in outcomes for children who received TeachTown: Basics or treatment as usual. Increased time spent using TeachTown: Basics was associated with worse receptive language outcomes for children in the experimental group after 1 academic year. However, there was no association between minutes spent using TeachTown and changes in expressive language or DAS-II score. Conclusion Despite growing enthusiasm for CAIs in autism treatment, the present findings indicate that CAI might not be effective at improving language and cognitive outcomes for children with autism spectrum disorder. The decision to implement CAIs in schools should be carefully balanced against the evidence for effectiveness of these programs. Schools might be better served by investing in treatment strategies with established evidence. Clinical trial registration information RCT of TeachTown in Autism Support Classrooms: Innovation and Exnovation; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ ; NCT02695693

Effects of prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) are rarely measured in preschool children due to relative insensitivity of assessment methods at this age. To examine the potential of a nonverbal battery in early identification of cognitive problems in alcohol-exposed children, 291 prospectively identified Ukrainian children were evaluated using a test battery focusing on early executive functioning (EF) and visuospatial skills, areas of cognitive development particularly sensitive to PAE in older children. Tests included the Differential Ability Scales, 2(nd) Edition (DAS-2) and several NEPSY/NEPSY-II subtests, standardized in the United States. Others were adapted from commonly used non-standardized neuropsychological measures of EF (Preschool Spatial Span, Imitation Hand Game, A not B, Delayed Attention, Subject Ordered Pointing). Children in two sites in Ukraine, Rivne and Khmelnitsky, were tested at 3 ½−4 ½ years to identify effects of PAE. Although most children performed within the average range, Alcohol-Exposed preschoolers had lower scores on DAS-II Summary Scores as well as on specific subtests. To evaluate the effects of alcohol dose during the pre-pregnancy recognition period and during midgestation of pregnancy, generalized linear regression models were used controlling for demographic and individual variables. In addition to DAS-II variables, measures reflecting sustained attention, working memory and ability to shift cognitive set were impacted by alcohol dose. Early executive function appears to subsume these performance differences. In conclusion, findings indicate that the effects of PAE can be identified in the preschool period and reliably measured using tests assessing nonverbal and spatial skills supported by executive functioning.

To define parenting/social characteristics associated with better-than-expected cognitive and motor outcomes in preschoolers at similar perinatal biological risk-level including various gestational ages at birth (GA) and perinatal complications. Prospective cohort study (n = 87) of children at four years, median GA 29 weeks (IQR 26, 38). Assessments included Differential Ability Scales, Movement Assessment Battery, parenting styles, and social risk scores. Perinatal risk factors were weighted based on regression models for each outcome; individual calculated risk scores became predictors to extract standardized residuals from the mean (>1 SD above mean = better-than-expected). Mixed-effect regressions examined associations between positive adaptation and parenting/social factors. Perinatal risk scores explained 21–53% outcome variability. Children across all GA displayed positive adaptation. Children of parents with higher authoritarian scores had higher odds of better-than-expected outcomes (OR 1.17, p = 0.0002). Parental structure may promote positive adaptation at preschool age in children with perinatal risk factors for poor development, including extreme prematurity.

Objective Social skills difficulties are commonly reported by parents and teachers of school age (SA) children with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1). Investigations of social skills of young children with NF1 are scarce. This study aimed to characterize the emergence of social skills challenges beginning in early childhood, examine social skills longitudinally into SA, and explore interrelations with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptomatology and cognitive functioning among children with NF1 cross-sectionally and longitudinally. Method Three samples of children with NF1 and their parents participated: (1) early childhood (n = 50; ages 3-6; mean [M] = 3.96, SD = 1.05), (2) SA (n = 40; ages 9-13; [M] = 10.90, SD = 1.59), and (3) both early childhood and SA (n = 25). Parent-reported social skills (Social Skills Rating System and Social Skills Improvement System), ADHD symptomatology (Conners Parent Rating Scales - Revised and Conners - Third Edition), and parent-reported cognitive abilities (Differential Ability Scales - Second Edition) were evaluated. Results Parental ratings of social skills were relatively stable throughout childhood. Ratings of social skills at the end of early childhood significantly predicted school-age social skills. Parental ratings of ADHD symptomatology showed significant negative relations with social skills. Early childhood inattentive symptoms predicted school-age social skills ratings. Cognitive functioning was not significantly related to social skills. Conclusion Parent-reported social skills difficulties are evident during early childhood. This work adds to the literature by describing the frequency and stability of social skills challenges in early childhood and in the school-age period in NF1. Research about interventions to support social skills when difficulties are present is needed.

The theoretical, quantitative, and qualitative characteristics of five commonly used cognitive tests for preschoolers were reviewed and evaluated. These tests included the Woodcock-Johnson IV Tests of Cognitive Abilities (WJ IV COG; Schrank, McGrew, & Mather, 2014), the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence – Fourth Edition (WPPSI-IV; Wechsler, 2012a), the Differential Ability Scales – Second Edition (DAS-II; Elliott, 2007a), the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scales – Fifth Edition (SB5; Roid, 2003a), and the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children – Second Edition: Normative Update (KABC-II:NU; Kaufman & Kaufman, 2018b). Although the DAS-II and KABC-II emerged as the most well-rounded of the five cognitive tests evaluated, all of the tests have their strengths and limitations. The authors suggest that examiners and practitioners know the characteristics of each of these tests before selecting one for use with preschool children to maximize their utility, interpret them accurately, and provide meaningful recommendations to parents, teachers, and other professionals.

Objective Positional plagiocephaly/brachycephaly (PPB) is associated with lower cognitive scores in school-aged children. This study tested the hypothesis that infant motor skills mediate this association. Methods Children with a history of PPB (cases, n = 187) and without PPB (controls, n = 149) were followed from infancy through approximately 9 years of age. Infant motor skills were assessed using the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, 3rd edition (Bayley-3), and cognition was assessed using the Differential Ability Scales, 2nd edition (DAS-2). The Bayley-3 motor composite was examined as a mediator of the association between PPB and DAS-2 general cognitive ability (GCA) scores. In secondary analyses, mediation models were examined for the DAS-2 verbal ability, nonverbal ability, and working memory scores; models using the Bayley-3 fine versus gross motor scores also were examined. Results Cases scored lower than controls on the DAS-GCA (β = −4.6; 95% CI = −7.2 to −2.0), with an indirect (mediated) effect of β = −1.5 (95% CI = −2.6 to −0.4) and direct effect of β = −3.1 (95% CI = −5.7 to −0.5). Infant motor skills accounted for approximately 33% of the case–control difference in DAS-2 GCA scores. Results were similar for other DAS-2 outcomes. Evidence of mediation was greater for Bayley-3 gross motor versus fine motor scores. Conclusion Infant motor skills partially mediate the association between PPB and cognition in school-aged children. Monitoring motor development and providing intervention as needed may help offset associated developmental concerns for children with PPB. Impact To our knowledge, this study is the first longitudinal investigation of the development of children with and without PPB from infancy through the early school years and the first to examine motor skills as a mediator of cognitive outcomes in this population. The findings highlight the importance of early motor skills for other developmental outcomes. Lay Summary Infants’ motor skills are related to the development of PPB and its association with later cognition. If your child has PPB, physical therapists may have an important role in assessing and providing treatment to promote motor development.

IMPORTANCE: Universal developmental screening is widely recommended, yet studies of the accuracy of commonly used questionnaires reveal mixed results, and previous comparisons of these questionnaires are hampered by important methodological differences across studies. OBJECTIVE: To compare the accuracy of 3 developmental screening instruments as standardized tests of developmental status. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This cross-sectional diagnostic accuracy study recruited consecutive parents in waiting rooms at 10 pediatric primary care offices in eastern Massachusetts between October 1, 2013, and January 31, 2017. Parents were included if they were sufficiently literate in the English or Spanish language to complete a packet of screening questionnaires and if their child was of eligible age. Parents completed all questionnaires in counterbalanced order. Participants who screened positive on any questionnaire plus 10% of those who screened negative on all questionnaires (chosen at random) were invited to complete developmental testing. Analyses were weighted for sampling and nonresponse and were conducted from October 1, 2013, to January 31, 2017. EXPOSURES: The 3 screening instruments used were the Ages & Stages Questionnaire, Third Edition (ASQ-3); Parents’ Evaluation of Developmental Status (PEDS); and Survey of Well-being of Young Children (SWYC): Milestones. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Reference tests administered were Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, Third Edition, for children aged 0 to 42 months, and Differential Ability Scales, Second Edition, for older children. Age-standardized scores were used as indicators of mild (80-89), moderate (70-79), or severe (

Hunter syndrome, or mucopolysaccharidosis (MPS) II, is a rare lysosomal disorder characterized by progressive, multi-system disease. As most symptoms cannot be reversed once established, early detection and treatment prior to the onset of clinical symptoms are critical. However, it is difficult to identify affected individuals early in disease, and therefore the long-term outcomes of initiating treatment during this optimal time period are incompletely described. We report long-term clinical outcomes of treatment when initiated prior to obvious clinical signs by comparing the courses of two siblings with neuronopathic Hunter syndrome (c.1504T>G[p.W502G]), one who was diagnosed due to clinical disease (Sibling-O, age 3.7 years) and the other who was diagnosed before disease was evident (Sibling-Y, age 12 months), due to his older sibling’s findings. The brothers began enzyme replacement therapy within a month of diagnosis. Around the age of 5 years, Sibling-O had a cognitive measurement score in the impaired range of

When the Differential Ability Scales–Second Edition (DAS-II) was developed, the instrument’s content, structure, and theoretical orientation were amended. Despite these changes, the Technical Handbook did not report results from exploratory factor analytic investigations, and confirmatory factor analyses were implemented using selected subtests across the normative age groups from the total battery. To address these omissions, the present study investigated the theoretical structure of the DAS-II using principal axis factoring followed by the Schmid–Leiman procedure with participants from the 5- to 8-year-old age range to determine the degree to which the DAS-II theoretical structure proposed in the Technical Handbook could be replicated. Unlike other age ranges investigated where at most 14 subtests were administered, the entire DAS-II battery was normed on participants aged 5 to 8 years, making it well suited to test the full instrument’s alignment with theory. Results suggested a six-factor solution that was essentially consistent with the Cattell–Horn–Carroll (CHC)-based theoretical structure suggested by the test publisher and simple structure was attained. The only exception involved two subtests (Picture Similarities and Early Number Concepts) that did not saliently load on a group factor. Implications for clinical practice are discussed.

Individually administered intelligence measures are commonly used in diagnostic work, but there is a continuing need for research investigating possible test bias among these measures. One current intelligence measure, the Differential Ability Scales, Second Edition (DAS-II), is a test with growing popularity. The issue of test bias, however, has not been thoroughly investigated with the DAS-II. The current study investigated whether the DAS-II demonstrates systematic construct bias when used with children from three racial and ethnic groups—African American, Asian, and Hispanic—when compared to non-Hispanic Caucasian children. Multi-group confirmatory factor analyses with data from the DAS-II standardization sample were used to assess whether the constructs and measurement of constructs were invariant across groups. Results indicate cross-group internal structure validity in the DAS-II, and thus a lack of construct bias. Minor differences were found, but these differences do not affect the calculation of composite scores on the DAS-II and thus would not result in unfair scoring for the groups involved. Results of this study support the appropriateness of the DAS-II for clinical use with these racial and ethnic groups.

There is a paucity of literature examining the relationship between executive and social functioning in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Twenty-three school-aged children with ASD participated. Executive functioning was measured using the Developmental Neuropsychological Assessment, Second Edition and Differential Ability Scales, Second Edition, and the teacher-rated Behavior Rating of Inventory of Executive Function. Independent assessors observed children’s social functioning on the playground while children with ASD and their peers completed a survey to measure peer friendships and rejections. Overall, poorer executive functioning was associated with increased playground isolation and less engagement with peers. This suggests that metacognitive skills such as initiation, working memory, and planning and organization are associated with children’s social functioning.

One major risk of paediatric sleep apnoea-hypopnoea syndrome (SAHS) is the development of cognitive impairments among affected children. Electroencephalography (EEG) is ordinarily used as part of polysomnography, the standard diagnostic test for SAHS. However, how SAHS changes overnight EEG, and its relationships with cognitive performance, remains unclear. In this study, we first analyzed the spectral content of EEG recordings from 294 children to explore possible differences caused by SAHS. Then, a correlation network analysis was conducted to evaluate relationships among different EEG spectral bands and the results from the Differential Ability Scales (DAS) battery of cognitive tests. Our analyses identified up to six new SAHS spectral bands of interest in the EEG. They also showed higher absolute correlations among the different spectral bands as SAHS severity increased. Higher SAHS severity degree also indicated higher absolute correlations with DAS tests. Our results suggest that the spectral content of the overnight EEG is useful to characterize both paediatric SAHS and the cognitive performance of the affected children.

BACKGROUND: Studies have revealed an association between positional plagiocephaly and/or brachycephaly (PPB) and development, although little is known about long-term outcomes. We examined cognition and academic achievement in children with and without PPB, testing the hypothesis that children who had PPB as infants would score lower than controls. METHODS: We enrolled 187 school-aged children with a history of PPB and 149 controls. Exposures were the presence or absence and severity of infancy PPB (mild, moderate to severe). Cognitive and academic outcomes were assessed by using the Differential Ability Scales, Second Edition and Wechsler Individual Achievement Test, Third Edition, respectively. RESULTS: Children with PPB scored lower than controls on most scales of the Differential Ability Scales, Second Edition (standardized effect sizes [ESs] = −0.38 to −0.20) and the Wechsler Individual Achievement Test, Third Edition (ESs = −0.22 to −0.17). Analyses by PPB severity revealed meaningful differences among children with moderate to severe PPB (ESs = −0.47 to −0.23 for 8 of 9 outcomes), but few differences in children with mild PPB (ESs = −0.28 to 0.14). CONCLUSIONS: School-aged children with moderate to severe PPB scored lower than controls on cognitive and academic measures; associations were negligible among children with mild PPB. The findings do not necessarily imply that these associations are causal; rather, PPB may serve as a marker of developmental risk. Our findings suggest a role for assessing PPB severity in clinical practice: providing developmental assessment and intervention for infants with more severe deformation and reassurance and anticipatory guidance for patients with mild deformation.

Aim To assess the predictive validity at 4 years of the Movement Assessment Battery for Children - Second Edition (MABC-2) for motor impairment at 8 years in children born preterm. We also aimed to determine if sex, cognition, medical, or social risks were associated with motor impairment at 8 years or with a change in MABC-2 score between 4 years and 8 years. Method Ninety-six children born at less than 30 weeks’ gestation were assessed with the MABC-2 at 4 years and 8 years of age. Motor impairment was defined as less than or equal to the 5th centile. The Differential Ability Scales - Second Edition (DAS-II) was used to measure General Conceptual Ability (GCA) at 4 years, with a score

Aim To evaluate the relationship between corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) expression in the placenta and the risk of school-related dysfunctions at the age of 10 years among children born extremely preterm (EP). Methods Corticotropin-releasing hormone expression was measured in the placenta of 761 EP children, who had the following assessments at the age of 10 years: Differential Ability Scales, Oral and Written Language Scales, the Wechsler Individual Achievement Test-III, NEPSY-II and the Child Symptom Inventory-4. We evaluated whether lowest and highest quartiles of CRH mRNA were associated with undesirable scores on these assessments. With 272 evaluations, we would expect 14 to be significant at p Results Only 16 associations were statistically significant. On the other hand, seven of these were social limitations among girls whose placenta CRH mRNA was in the top quartile. Adjusting for delivery indication or restricting the sample to one delivery indication group resulted in few differences. Conclusion Overall, placenta CRH mRNA concentrations in the top or bottom quartiles were not associated with increased risks of dysfunctions 10 years later. Girls whose placenta CRH expression was in the top quartile, however, were at increased risk of seven indicators/correlates of social limitations.

OBJECTIVES:To compare neurocognitive, language, executive function, academic achievement, neurologic and behavioral outcomes, and quality of life at age 10 years in children born extremely preterm who developed bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) to children who did not develop BPD.METHODS:The Extremely Low Gestational Age Newborns study population included 863 children born extremely preterm whose BPD status before discharge was known had an IQ (Differential Ability Scales II [DAS II]) assessment at 10 years. We evaluated the association of BPD with any cognitive (DAS II), executive function (NEuroPSYchological Assessment II), academic achievement (Wechsler Individual Achievement Test-III and Oral and Written Language Scales [OWLS]) as well as social dysfunctions (Social Responsiveness Scale). We used logistic regression models, adjusting for potential confounding factors, to assess the strength of association between the severity of BPD and each outcomes.RESULTS:Three hundred and seventy-two (43%) children were oxygen-dependent at 36 weeks postconception age, whereas an additional 78 (9%) were also oxygen- and ventilator-dependent. IQ scores 2 or more SDs below the expected mean (ie, z scores ≤−2) occurred twice as commonly among children who had BPD as among those who did not. Children with severe BPD consistently had the lowest scores on DAS II, OWLS, Wechsler Individual Achievement Test-III, NEuroPSYchological Assessment II, and Social Responsiveness Scale assessments.CONCLUSIONS:Among 10-year-old children born extremely preterm, those who had BPD were at increased risk of cognitive, language, and executive dysfunctions; academic achievement limitations; social skill deficits; and low scores on assessments of health-related quality of life.

Recently emerging evidence suggests that the dominant structural model of mental abilities-the Cattell-Horn-Carroll (CHC) model-may not adequately account for observed scores for mental abilities batteries, leading scholars to call into question the model's validity. Establishing the robustness of these findings is important since CHC is the foundation for several contemporary mental abilities test batteries, such as the Woodcock-Johnson III (WJ-III). Using confirmatory factor analysis, we investigated CHC's robustness across 4 archival samples of mental abilities test battery data, including the WJ-III, the Kaufman Adolescent & Adult Intelligence Test (KAIT), the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children (KABC), and the Differential Ability Scales (DAS). We computed omega hierarchical (ωH) and omega subscale (ωS) coefficients for g and the broad factors, which estimated the relationship of composite scores to g and the broad factors, respectively. Across all 4 samples, we found strong evidence for a general ability, g. We additionally found evidence for 3 to 9 residualized, orthogonal broad abilities existing independently of g, many of which also explained reliable variance in test battery scores that cannot be accounted for by g alone. The reliabilities of these broad factors, however, were less than desirable (i.e.

Considerable animal research and available human studies suggest that psychological distress experienced by mothers during gestation is associated with later neurodevelopmental deficits in offspring; however, little research has examined potential protective factors that might mitigate this risk. The current study examined the impact of maternal prenatal psychological distress during pregnancy on cognitive outcomes in preschoolers (ages 2.5-5 years) and positive parenting as a potential protective factor. Mother-child dyads (N = 162, mean child age = 44 months, 49 % female) were recruited from a longitudinal cohort of women who had previously participated in a study of maternal mood disorders during pregnancy. Maternal prenatal distress was assessed with multiple measures collected throughout pregnancy. During a follow-up visit, mothers were interviewed about their psychological symptoms since the birth of the child, parenting behaviors were recorded during a parent-child interaction, and children's cognitive abilities were measured using the Differential Ability Scales, 2nd Edition. Maternal prenatal distress significantly predicted lower general cognitive abilities; however, this relationship was strongest for children whose mothers exhibited low levels of positive engagement and not significant when mothers exhibited high levels of positive engagement. Results suggest that positive parental engagement can protect against the detrimental effects of maternal prenatal distress on preschoolers' cognitive abilities.

Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) in children is associated with cognitive challenges. However, potential associations between SDB severity and neurocognitive function, as well as the presence of an SDB cutoff, have not been fully explored.To determine whether SDB-associated adverse changes in neurocognitive functioning are severity dependent.A total of 1,010 snoring and nonsnoring children ages 5-7 years were prospectively recruited from public schools and underwent polysomnography and neurocognitive assessments of intellectual, attention, memory, language, and executive function development. The children were subdivided into four severity groups on the basis of apnea-hypopnea index (AHI), followed by comparisons of cognitive function, with a particular focus on standardized subtests of intellectual, language, attention, memory, and executive function.Differential Ability Scales Verbal (P 0.001) and Nonverbal (P = 0.002) performance, as well as global conceptual ability (IQ) (P 0.001) scores, differed significantly across the groups, with individuals with higher AHI showing worse performance. Additionally, specific NEPSY (a Developmental Neuropsychological Assessment) subscores focused on attention and executive skills differed across the groups, indicating differences in levels of engagement and problem solving. Children with higher AHI (5 per hour of total sleep time) were significantly more impaired than all three lower AHI groups, indicating a dose-response impact of SDB.This large community-based sample of children highlights the significant deleterious impact of SDB, particularly in children with moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea, and also that even snoring alone affects neurocognitive function. By affecting developing capabilities, as illustrated by cognitive measures in a severity-graded manner, SDB could adversely impact children's capacity to attain academic and adaptive goals, ultimately hampering their ability to reach independence. Our findings support the need for increased awareness of SDB, with particular emphasis on children with more severe obstructive sleep apnea.

This article memorializes Colin D. Elliott (1937-2016). For 7 years, in his work as a school psychologist, Elliott studied the ability profiles of children with learning disabilities and the measurement of children's developmental stages. Subsequently, he trained school psychologists for over 20 years at the University of Manchester. In 1983, he made a major, enduring contribution to the field of psychometric assessment in both his home country and the wider field with the publication of the innovative British Ability Scales (BAS). An American version, the Differential Ability Scales (DAS), followed in 1990, and both versions of the test have been widely used and revised several times (BAS 2, BAS 3, and DAS-II). Many of his innovations in those tests have been adopted in other instruments. His other research and many publications focused on individual differences in children's temperament and personality and specific learning difficulties. Elliott moved to the United States in 1992 and was adjunct professor at the Gevirtz Graduate School of Education at the University of California, Santa Barbara. (PsycINFO Database Record