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The fit of a seven-syndrome model is tested to ratings of preschoolers' problems using confirmatory factor analyses. The data set was obtained from parents of 19,106 children 18 to 71 months of age from 23 societies in Asia, Australasia, Europe, the Middle East, and South America. They completed the Child Behavior Checklist for Ages 1.5-5.

Normative data are presented for Bender test performance, following the system of Koppitz, of 695 Mexican students between 5.0 and 12.1 yr. old (M=8.7, SD=2.01) and belonging to different socioeconomic status. The data are compared with the normative group of U.S. students used by Koppitz and with a representative sample of children from Barcelona, Spain. The results indicate that the total number of Bender errors decreased with increasing age of the children and that significant differences existed with respect to socioeconomic status. The comparison of these data with U.S. and Spanish children shows significant differences in all age groups, with the Mexican children scoring lowest. Differences in quality of schooling and in other aspects of education could explain the variability in Bender test performance.

The present study was undertaken to provide preliminary data for norms on the Bender-Gestalt Test for 253 children ages 5 yr., 5 mo. to 11 yr., 10 mo. in Turkey. The Koppitz Developmental Scoring System gave mean error scores of 4.2 (SD=3.3) for girls and 3.6 (SD=3.0) for boys. The mean error scores obtained by all age groups are presented and compared with other cross-cultural data. These scores decreased across age groups, supporting Bender's maturational hypothesis of the test. The present sample performed at a higher developmental level than the Koppitz normative sample for the 5- and 6-year age groups, while means for other age groups were similar to the original U.S. norms. That this pattern is supported in other cross-cultural studies is discussed as well as the importance of developing local norms for visual spatial tests.

Recent experimentation has shown that cognitive aptitude measures are predicted by tests of the scope of an individual's attention or capacity in simple working memory tasks and also by the ability to control attention. However, these experiments do not indicate how separate or related the scope and control of attention are. An experiment with 52 children (10 to 11 years old) and 52 college students included measures of the scope and control of attention, as well as verbal and nonverbal aptitude measures. The children showed little evidence of using sophisticated attentional control, but the scope of attention predicted intelligence in that group. In adults, both the scope and control of attention varied among individuals and accounted for considerable individual variance in intelligence. About one third that variance was shared between scope and control, and the rest was unique to one or the other. Scope and control of attention appear to be related but distinct contributors to intelligence.

The purpose was twofold: (1) to assess whether laboratory tests can distinguish talented groups and less talented groups of children identified by their total scores in a battery of field tests and (2) to evaluate whether scores in field and laboratory tests are correlated. 36 children (ages 9 to 10 years) were divided into groups of higher and lower total scores on standing long jump, medicine bail throw, and sprint. Both groups were tested for maximum isometric force, force produced at the initial 100 msec., reactive force index, drop jump height, squat jump height, and maximum pedaling rate. Analysis showed the talented group had significantly (p < .05) higher scores on maximum isometric force, force produced in the initial 100 msec., and drop jump height than less talented children. Moderate to high correlations were found among scores for field performance tests with maximum pedaling rate. In conclusion, the laboratory tests distinguished the talented and less talented children in maximal isometric force, the force produced at the initial 100 msec., the reactive force index, and the drop jump height.

Two experiments examined whether the association between word-learning, nonword repetition, and immediate serial recall observed in children also exists in normal adults. The experiments also introduce a novel paradigm for studying word-learning. Experiment 1 studied the performance of 52 adults in nonword repetition, immediate serial recall, and word-learning tasks, examining the correlation between these measures. The results indicate that the developmental relationships between all three abilities also exist in adults. Experiment 2 investigated the robustness of these results using different stimuli and a variant of the word-learning task, and it also examined performance in a visuospatial span task, to test an alternative account of the results of Experiment 1; the results from 58 adults provide further evidence that the developmental association between word-learning, nonword repetition, and immediate serial recall extends into adulthood. The theoretical implications of these findings are discussed in terms of alternative models of the relationship between these abilities.

The factorial structure of two tests of cognitive style (the Children's Embedded Figures Test and the Matching Familiar Figures Test-20) and one test of cognitive ability (Raven Progressive Matrices) was examined in this study with a sample of 337 boys and 287 girls between ages 6 and 11 years. Factor I related to Impulsivity and Factor II related to cognitive ability and disembedding skills, which were stable across age groups and sex and accounted for 84.6% of variance.

This article tests the knowledge level of three year olds through the examination of their eye gaze. The authors maintain when a child gives an incorrect answer, but gazes in the correct direction, it demonstrates the presence of unconscious knowledge.

This article evaluates the 'Competent Children' research project designed to measure educational progress. The author maintains the short comings of the project are the analytical techniques used to uncover the driving factors, the analysis of gender differences and school mix, which come up short, and suggests the analysis of school progress can be improved.

This article discusses the 'Competent Children' project created by the authors. The authors, defending their project, maintain that due to their modeling technique valuable statistical information was drawn regarding children's competency.

The nearly concurrent release of the disappointing results of US student performance in the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS; NCES 1996, 1998) and the National Science Education Standards [...]

We examined whether genetic and environmental effects on academic achievement changed as a function of the quality of the children's environment. The study included a variety of observed environmental measures [...]

Annual tuberculosis screening of inner-city children may not be necessary. Researchers estimated the rate of tuberculosis transmission by performing Mantoux injection tuberculosis testing of 1,433 children from a low income, urban area of Baltimore, Maryland. Forty percent of the children returned to have their test read by a health care professional, which yielded five positive test results. The prevalence rate of TB was a low 0.8%, suggesting that annual TB screening in this population is not necessary. The American Academy of Pediatrics stated in 1996 that annual TB testing is unnecessary., Background. In January 1994, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommended that annual screening with the purified protein derivative tuberculin skin test, Mantoux method, be used for tuberculosis screening in high-risk children. This test has a better sensitivity and specificity than the previously used multiple puncture test, and patients need to return for a reading done by palpation by a health care professional. Objective. To estimate the prevalence of reactivity to purified protein derivative tuberculin in an urban primary care clinic whose patients meet high-risk criteria and to determine if annual screening is warranted, to determine the adherence to return to the clinic for reading of the skin test, and to describe the characteristics of patients who have tuberculosis infection and disease. Research Design. Cross-sectional study. Setting. Inner-city, hospital-based primary care pediatric clinic in Baltimore, MD. Subjects. A total of 1433 consecutive children attending this clinic from March through September, 1994, who were at risk for tuberculosis because of frequent exposure to poor and medically indigent city dwellers. Methods. The Mantoux test (5TU intradermal injection of purified protein derivative) was administered to children at annual health supervision visits. Patients were tracked to determine those who resumed for a reading by a health care professional and find those with a positive Mantoux test. The charts of children with a positive test were reviewed. Results. Five hundred seventy-three (40%) patients resumed for a reading by a health care professional. Five patients had a positive Mantoux test, giving a prevalence rate of 0.8% of reactivity to purified protein derivative tuberculin. One child with a positive Mantoux test also had chest radiograph findings consistent with tuberculosis disease but was asymptomatic. Conclusions. In our city with a low prevalence of disease, children whose only risk factor for tuberculosis was exposure to poor and medically indigent city dwellers did not represent a high-risk group. Our results are supportive of the 1996 American Academy of Pediatrics screening statement that annual screening is not warranted. Sixty percent of children did not return for a reading of the Mantoux test by a health care professional. Alternative strategies that are more convenient for parents are needed to obtain accurate readings by health care professionals when skin testing is deemed necessary., Pediatrics 1997;99:529-533; tuberculosis infection, disease, pediatrics, children, screening, Mantoux, tuberculin skin test, PPD, high risk, urban, resident continuity clinic. ABBREVIATIONS. AAP, American Academy of Pediatrics; PPD, purified protein derivative; MPT, [...]

Routine blood testing for lead may identify children with dangerously high lead levels who display no symptoms of lead poisoning. Three case histories are presented of young children with blood lead levels more than ten times the threshold considered safe. In all three cases lead poisoning was discovered during routine testing. In all three cases consuming lead-based paint was the source of the exposure. In one case, a sibling of the poisoned child also had lead levels high enough to require immediate treatment., ABBREVIATIONS. CDC, centers for Disease Control and Prevention; RBC, red blood cell; EEP, tree erythrocyte protoporphyrin; IM, intramuscular; BAL, British anti-Lewisite; IV, intravenous; Ca[Na.sub.2]EDTA, calcium disodium edetate. Childhood lead poisoning [...]

The Idea Oral Language Proficiency Test, Language Assessment Scales (LAS) and Woodcock Language Proficiency Battery-Revised (WLPB-R) tests show a strong concurrent validity with cognitive ability, language proficiency and academic achievement tests. The three tests compute similar and dissimilar aspects of oral language proficiency. The high correlation between the subtest of one battery and that of another, proves that those subtests measure a similar ability. Differences in the correlational patterns of WLPB-R and Pre-LAS suggests that they measure different aspects of oral language.

A comparative study of the mathematical ability of 99 Chinese and 98 three-to-six-year-old US children revealed the Chinese subjects to possess superior math skills from pre-school years. Despite difficulties in learning number-naming systems, Chinese students are proficient in learning symbols and relations pertaining to advanced math.

The evolving legal recognition of children as autonomous from their parents complicates the ethical and psychological issues involved in genetic testing. Surveys indicate that pediatricians and geneticists are somewhat divided on whether and when genetic testing should be performed on children. Genetic testing may have significant psychological implications for children and adolescents, especially if they are found to have a predisposition to an incurable disease. Additionally, the results of testing may lead to stigmatization of the child. The legal trend has been toward a reduction in parental authority in some matters and toward consideration of a child's wishes. In some courts, minors who are 15 years old may give consent to medical treatment without parental involvement. When deciding whether testing is appropriate, health professionals should consider whether the minor has made the decision to seek testing independently especially in cases where no treatment for a disease is available., In the future there is likely to be a large array of DNA-based tests to diagnose single-gene disorders and to identify predispositions to genetically influenced disorders. This article focuses on ethical, legal, and psychological implications of testing healthy children and adolescents for such disorders. Testing may offer medical or psychological benefits but may harm parent-child bonds or the child&apos;s self-concept. Clinicians may encounter situations where they must weigh the child&apos;s or adolescent&apos;s wishes against wishes of parents. We examine the legal history and current status of minors as health care consumers; psychosocial research on their maturity to make choices; impact of testing on intrafamilial relationships; views of national commissions on appropriate ages of assent and full informed consent; ethical and legal requirements for competence in children and adolescents; and disclosure of genetic information. We propose guidelines for predictive genetic testing and counseling of children and discuss risks and benefits of testing. (JAMA. 1994;272:875-881)

The purpose of this study was to examine the validity of a recently developed rating scale of perceived exertion, the Children's Effort Rating Table (CERT), for controlling exercise intensity in young children. 16 children (M age = 9.9 yr., SD = 1.2) performed three separate exercise tests on a mechanically braked cycle ergometer. Stage I (response protocol) consisted of a graded test with heart rate and perceived effort rating recorded in response to specified steady-state work outputs. Stage II (production protocol) examined subjects' ability to produce work outputs corresponding to levels 5, 7, and 9 of the CERT. This protocol was repeated on a further occasion (Stage III) to assess the reliability of the findings. Pearson correlations between ratings and heart rate (0.76) and ratings and work output (0.75) highlight the potential of the scale as a valid measure of exercise intensity. Also, the work rates produced by subjects in Stage II correlated 0.89 with those predicted from Stage I; however, analysis of variance showed that work output was significantly lower in Stage II than predicted. Finally, an intraclass correlation of 0.91 between Stages II and III suggests that the scale gave a reliable estimate of exercise intensity of children. The findings from this pilot study suggest that children's perceptions of effort might be used to guide intensity of exercise during structured activity classes.

This study examined the performance of 42 middle- and 42 low-income kindergarten children on arithmetic calculations presented in a nonverbal format as well as in 3 different verbal formats. On the nonverbal task, the child was shown an initial set of disks, which was then hidden with a cover. The set was transformed by adding or removing disks. After the transformation, the child's task was to construct an array of disks that contained the same number of disks as in the final hidden set. A significant interaction between income level and task format was obtained. Although middle-income children performed better than low-income children on each of the verbal calculation tasks, the 2 income groups did not differ in performance on the nonverbal calculation task. The findings suggest that the nonverbal task format is less sensitive to socioeconomic variation than are the verbal task formats.

Familial aggregation of language has been demonstrated in previous studies. However, researchers have typically failed to differentiate subgroups of language-impaired children. The present study used questionnaire data to assess the family history of speech, language, and school problems in a group of young children with developmental expressive language delay (ELD) and in a sample of normally developing children. In contrast to previous studies of language and speech problems, no strong familial component of ELD was found. Further, family history was not predictive of later language development in ELD children. These finding argue against genetic and familial causes of ELD and attest to the importance of differentiating subtypes of early language problems. KEY WORDS: developmental expressive language delay, language development, family history, nosology

In contrast to the opinion offered by many medical authorities that children should be screened for high cholesterol levels, the viewpoint is advanced that fewer, rather than more, children should be screened in that fashion. A review of published research results is presented to support the authors' viewpoint. Studies have shown that childhood cholesterol levels are poor predictors of levels in young adulthood, and poorer predictors of levels later in adulthood. These levels, in turn, are not perfect predictors of coronary heart disease (CHD). A table is constructed that shows the cumulative risk of premature death from CHD based upon blood cholesterol levels of boys and men. All risks are small, and more than half the boys with risk levels in the highest quintile will not be in the highest quintile as adults. Children at risk for CHD cannot be identified by cholesterol screening. Nor is it known that treatments aimed at reducing risk are more effective if started in childhood than if begun in adulthood. This appears to be true for diet, since dietary fat reductions are associated with reductions in cholesterol levels of 5 percent, or less. Moreover, no evidence exists that lowering cholesterol levels in childhood is more beneficial than lowering them in adulthood. Finally, results from cholesterol screening can lead to programs that are actually harmful to children, such as strict adherence to low-fat diets which do not provide adequate nutrition for growth. Results from one series of studies showed that people who lowered their cholesterol via diet or drugs were 76 percent more likely to die in accidents, violence, or through suicide than control subjects. Psychological factors can also affect children on unusual diets adversely. Can a parent in good faith explain to a child that he cannot eat a hot dog because he will then be 1 percent less likely to die in the next 60 years of a heart attack? Cholesterol measurement should not be foisted upon children before the age of 20, children who have better things to do - such as 'growth, surviving adolescence, and enjoying ice cream'. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Summary.--This study explored the influence of a child's sex and discourse behavior on the way he is judged by adults. Nine adults listened to 29 5-min. samples of the speech of children, aged 102 to 129 mo., conversing with an adult. They rated each child on 12 7-point bipolar adjective scales (e.g., bad/good, superior/inferior). The associations between the ratings on each scale and the child's sex and discourse behavior were then estimated. The aspects of discourse examined were amount of conversational participation, topic maintenance, and use of three types of speech acts (responses, acknowledgments, and assertions). Children who produced higher proportions of responses were judged as more timid and 'bad.' Children who participated more in the conversation and who could maintain a topic for a longer series of turns were judged as more intelligent, above average, and superior. Sex was also associated with the judgments on seven scales.