Right hemisphere dysfunction in nonverbal learning disabilities: Social, academic, and adaptive functioning in adults and children.

Addresses recent research on social and nonverbal learning disabilities. Involvement of right hemispheric dysfunction in these disabilities has been hypothesized, as studies with adults have suggested that documented right hemisphere damage may lead to deficits in social skills, prosody, spatial orientation, problem solving, and recognition of nonverbal cues. Studies of children purported to evidence nonverbal learning disabilities are reviewed and compared with the results from studies of adults with right hemisphere damage. Specific subtypes of nonverbal learning disabilities are reviewed, including the nonverbal perceptual-organization-output subtype, Asperger's syndrome, Developmental Gerstmann syndrome, left hemisyndrome, right hemisphere syndrome, and right parietal lobe syndrome. Finally, implications and future research needs are addressed. The need for a diagnostic nosology and improved and validated intervention techniques is stressed as is early identification of these types of specific nonverbal learning disabilities. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Implementation of the IDEA by school psychologists: An exploratory study using the theory of Street-Level Bureaucracy.

Based on the theory of Street-Level Bureaucracy (SLB), this exploratory study examines implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) by school psychologists. Ss were 6 school psychologists and their supervisors from 2 different school districts. Data were collected through semistructured interviews and case presentations. Ss' responses were coded and analyzed to determine patterns and themes present in the interview. The results revealed that when school psychologists experience conflict in their work, they develop coping strategies that interact with their professional behavior and the implementation of IDEA. Coping strategies, such as rationing services, routinizing practices, adjusting expectations of the role of a school psychologist from the ideal to the actual, and changing the law to fit the circumstances were all used. Although many of the predictions of SLB were confirmed, school psychologists were also found to rise above job demands and provide services to children and their parents. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Neuroimaging and Psychopharmacology.

This review presents the most recent research concerning neuroimaging in developmental disabilities. Changes in structure and activation have been found in children with ADHD and learning disabilities, following intervention. For the children with learning disabilities changes in activation have been found following intensive behavioral and academic intervention. Structural and activation differences in the auditory processing regions of the brain were found prior to academic intervention, with activation differences found for those children responding to the reading programs. Children with ADHD have been found to show differences in brain structures with few studies evaluating the differences in activation following medication. Emerging evidence indicates differences in the frontal regions of the brain for children who respond successfully to medication. Finally, a discussion of the variables that can impact the results in neuroimaging studies is presented. Further study is needed in this area, and additional variables of concern are also discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cognitive neuroscience: A field with increasing interest to school psychologists.

Reviews the book, Cognitive neuroscience: The biology of the mind by M. Gazzaniga, R. B. Ivry, and G. R. Mangun (1998). This excellent book on cognitive neuroscience provides an exposition of the key areas concerned in cognitive neuroscience for the advanced student in adult neuropsychology and/or biological psychiatry. The authors' aim to balance theory with neuropsychology utilizing neuroscientific evidence to support a theoretical basis is a major contribution of this text. In this book there has been a concerted effort to provide a theoretical basis for cognitive neuroscience in addition to a list of empirical evidence. Such an effort provides a backdrop for future research as well as linking various cognitive functions into an understandable whole. This volume provides an excellent overview of brain anatomy and function. The book is highly readable and provides excellent illustrations of complex material. The main weakness of this volume for school psychologists is the emphasis on adult disorders with no real discussion of the most common childhood disorders. Although the text assumes some familiarity with neuroanatomy, it is useful for practitioners who desire more up-to-date information in this exciting field. This volume would be an excellent textbook for courses in biological bases of behavior for doctoral-level school psychologists, provided there is accompanying information on child neuropsychology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Dyslexia and brain morphology.

Although the neurological basis of dyslexia has long been assumed, little direct evidence documents a relation between deviations in brain morphology and behavioral correlates of dyslexia. This article reviews two sources of evidence. Results of CT/MRI studies suggest that in the brains of dyslexics there is an increased incidence of symmetry in the region of the planum temporale and parietooccipital cortex that may be associated with language delay and handedness. Postmortem/cytoarchitectonic studies document symmetry of the plana, provide evidence of thalamic involvement, and chart widely distributed focal dysplasias preferentially involving the left frontal, left temporal, and right frontal regions. Methodological deficiencies characterize this literature, however, particularly regarding the diagnosis of dyslexia, appraisal of handedness and neurolinguistic deficits, and a failure to provide evidence that this pattern of involvement is unique to the dyslexic syndrome. These findings are discussed as they relate to neurobiological theory. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Reading and the corpus callosum: An MRI family study of volume and area.

This study examines the corpus callosum in 68 readers nested in 24 families. Callosa were measured and controlled for whole brain volume, intelligence, and gender. The relation of corpus callosum size to the within-family variance of oral reading was investigated with various measurements: volume, midsagittal area, and anterior-to-posterior one-fifth area segmentations. Because this is the first known publication of MRI calculations of corpus callosum volume, some basic questions about bilateral symmetry and the efficacy of area versus volumetric measurements were explored. Results suggest that better readers within families have larger midsagittal areas at the midbody. Although reliably measured, volume did not contribute to oral reading but was highly correlated with area. Bilateral volumes of the corpus callosum were symmetric. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Commentary on "The 50th anniversary of the Thayer Conference: Historical perspectives and accomplishments".

This article comments on Thomas Fagan's historical account (see record 2005-12578-002) of the 1954 Thayer Conference. The Thayer Conference was an important milestone for school psychology and sought to deal with issues such as credentialing, role and function, and training issues for our field. The article provides an excellent framework for understanding this very important conference as well as elucidating how it applies to our current practice. With differences between nondoctoral- and doctoral-level school psychologists continuing, both groups support the field and the manner in which school psychologists are trained and credentialed. The movement to different assessment and treatment strategies is exciting, and the incorporation of research into practice provides not only an important development in our field, but also a reluctance on the part of many to take this type of step away from traditional practice to one that is based on empirically supported practice and intervention. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Components of attention in children with complex partial seizures with and without ADHD

PURPOSE: To evaluate attentional difficulties in children with complex partial seizures, we reviewed the records of 12 children with complex partial seizures with attention deficient hyperactivity disorder (CPS/ADHD); 21 children with CPS without ADHD (CPS); 22 children with ADHD; and 15 control children. METHODS: Each child completed a computerized performance test (CPT), which evaluated sustained attention, inhibition of response, response time, and consistency of response. The ADHD groups also completed the CPT after a dose of methylphenidate. RESULTS: The results found poorest performance on the CPT by the CPS/ADHD group. Particular difficulty in attention was found for children with epilepsy regardless of the ADHD diagnosis. When methylphenidate was administered to the ADHD groups, both groups improved in performance on the CPT. CONCLUSIONS: Epilepsy may predispose children to attention problems that can significantly interfere with learning. Similar improvement for children with CPS/ADHD was found with methylphenidate compared with baseline as for children with ADHD but without CPS.     

Executive functioning in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: Combined type with and without a stimulant medication history.

Behavioral and neuropsychological functioning in unmedicated children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) who have a history of medication treatment (Rx) versus those who are treatment na?ve (TN) has, to our knowledge, not been previously studied. Ninety-four children in four groups (ADHD/Rx, ADHD/TN, learning disabilities [LD], and controls) were evaluated, while unmedicated, on measures of achievement, neuropsychological functioning, and behavior. The ADHD/Rx group performed significantly better than the TN group on writing, Stroop interference, and measures of attention, and performed as well as the control group on executive functioning, verbal working memory, and academics. Behaviorally, the ADHD groups showed more difficulty with mood and externalizing behaviors compared with the LD and control groups, with the ADHD/TN performing the most poorly. Findings suggest that the ADHD/Rx group shows better executive and academic functioning even when unmedicated. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)