Behavior Problems and Depressive Symptoms in Developmental Dyslexia: Risk Assessment in Brazilian Students.

Objective: To investigate if students with developmental dyslexia (DD) have more behavior problems and depressive symptoms than students without learning difficulties.

Method: Participants were 61 students, aged 7-14 years, including 31 with interdisciplinary DD diagnosis and 30 without learning disabilities. We collected data from parents, using the children's behavior checklist (CBCL), and from students, using the children's depression inventory (CDI).

An Exploration of the Rapid Automatic Naming Test as Administered to Brazilian Children.

Objective: The purpose of this research was to conduct an exploratory study of the performance of Brazilian children on the Rapid Automatic Naming (RAN) test, examining schooling effects of schooling and associations with reading speed, comprehension, and reading level for each of the RAN subtests of colour, numbers, letters, and objects.

Methods: Participants were 97 children, aged 7-11 years, enrolled in the first to fifth grade of elementary public education.

Results: The findings indicated a school-year effect on RAN performance, with recurrent differences in grades 1-4 and no effect in RAN Numbers.

Development and applications of the SWAN rating scale for assessment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: a literature review.

This study reviewed the use of the Strengths and Weaknesses of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity-symptoms and Normal-behaviors (SWAN) rating scale in diagnostic and evolutive approaches to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and in correlational studies of the disorder. A review of articles published in indexed journals from electronic databases was conducted and 61 articles on the SWAN scale were analyzed. From these, 27 were selected to a) examine use of SWAN in research on attention disorders and b) verify evidence of its usefulness in the areas of genetics, neuropsychology, diagnostics, psychiatric comorbidities, neuroimaging, pharmacotherapy, and to examine its statistical reliability and validity in studies of diverse populations.

Central auditory processing outcome after stroke in children.

Objective: To investigate central auditory processing in children with unilateral stroke and to verify whether the hemisphere affected by the lesion influenced auditory competence.

Method: 23 children (13 male) between 7 and 16 years old were evaluated through speech-in-noise tests (auditory closure); dichotic digit test and staggered spondaic word test (selective attention); pitch pattern and duration pattern sequence tests (temporal processing) and their results were compared with control children. Auditory competence was established according to the performance in auditory analysis ability.

Study of candidate genes for dyslexia in Brazilian individuals.

Dyslexia or reading disability (RD) is the most common childhood learning disorder and a significantly heritable trait. Many recent studies have investigated the genetic basis of dyslexia, and several candidate genes have been proposed. Among these, DCDC2 and KIAA0319 have emerged as the strongest candidate genes for dyslexia; however studies have not provided uniformly supportive results.

Does stroke impair learning in children?

Objective. To assess cognitive development and learning in children who have had strokes. Method.

Visual control in children with developmental dyslexia.

Purpose: To assess binocular control in children with dyslexia.

Methods: Cross-sectional study with 26 children who were submitted to a set of ophthalmologic and visual tests.

Results: In the dyslexic children less eye movement control in voluntary convergence and unstable binocular fixation was observed.

Stroke in patients with sickle cell disease: clinical and neurological aspects.

The aim of this study was to characterize a group of patients (n=8) with sickle cell disease (SCD) and ischemic stroke concerning the clinical, neurological, imaging and progressive aspects. Data were collected from records and completed with an interview of patients and their parents. In this study there were 8 patients with ages ranging from 10 to 23 years old; SCD diagnosis was given between one and two years of age with clinical features of fatigue and anemia.

[Auditory processing in children with cerebrovascular disease].

Background: cerebrovascular disease (CVD) during childhood is a rare condition; its short, medium and long-term characteristics deserve further investigation. The application of behavioral techniques may improve clinical characterization, thus rendering more efficient therapeutic planning and control.

Aim: to describe the audiological manifestations in a child with CVD in two distinct moments of clinical follow-up.

Cerebrovascular disease in childhood: neuropsychological investigation of 14 cases.

There are few studies about the development of a child after a cerebrovascular accident (CVA), and they usually describe problems such as diminishing in intellectual capacities, difficulties in linguistic and visual-motor skills, as well as in spatial organization and integration. In this study, there were 28 children participating, being 14 placed in the experimental group (EG) after clinical diagnosis and ischemic CVA imaging, and other 14 children without past history of CVA, who formed the control group (CG). The neuropsychological research protocol included an intelligence test, a visual-motor coordination test, human figure drawing, a cortical functions battery and the medical records of the children from the EG.

Comparative study of the neuropsychological and neuroimaging evaluations in children with dyslexia.

We analyzed retrospectively the neuroimaging exams of children with a confirmed diagnosis of dyslexia and correlated our findings with the evaluation of higher cortical functions. We studied 34 medical files of patients of the Ambulatory of Neuro-difficulties in Learning, FCM/UNICAMP. All of them had been sent to the ambulatory with primary or secondary complaints of difficulties at school and were submitted to neuropsychological evaluation and imaging exam (SPECT).

[Dichotic listening and spect in dyslexic children].

Dichotic listening (DL) was evaluated in 36 children with: verbal dichotic listening test, alternating disyllable dichotic test and non-verbal dichotic listening test. Children were separated into two groups: experimental group with 18 dyslexic children and control group with 18 normal children. Both groups were comparable in gender, laterality and social-economic level.

[Cerebrovascular disease: language acquisition in preschool children].

We describe ten children, aging 5 years and 1 month until 5 years and 11 months, when the phonoaudiological assessment was conducted. They are divided according to cerebrovascular disease, in CVD group (CVD-G) and control group (cG). Children were seen and CVD was confirmed in the acute phase at UNICAMP hospital.

[Performance of school children with specific reading disabilities in a remediation program].

Background: Specific reading disability is caused by disruptions in the language abilities.

Aim: To characterize the neurological, cognitive and phonological performances of scholars with specific reading disabilities pre and post a remediation program.

Method: Group I consisted of ten scholars with specific reading disability who did not undergo the remediation program.

[Language evaluation in children with bilateral cerebrovascular disease: study of two cases].

We describe two children, aging 5 years and 6 months and 5 years and 10 months respectively, when the phonoaudiological assessment was conducted. Both children presented bilateral cerebrovascular disease (CVD), confirmed in the acute phase by means of clinical and image neurological test. During this phase, the two patients were examined by a pediatric neurologist of the Pediatric Neurology Discipline of FCM/UNICAMP, pediatric CVD ambulatory.

Ischemic cerebrovascular disease in childhood: cognitive assessment of 15 patients.

The aim of this study was to evaluate and to compare the cognitive function of children with ischemic cerebrovascular disease (ICVD). Fifteen children, 7 girls and 8 boys, aged 7.9 to 16.

Neuropsychological evaluation of children after ischemic cerebrovascular disease.

The purpose of this study is to associate neuropsychological evaluation with neuroimaging results in children with cerebral tomography indicating ischemic cerebrovascular disease (ICVD). Neuroimaging, neurological exams and neuropsychological instruments were used to evaluate five children. The study revealed that the cognitive and perceptive skills in two children were normal and motor sequele in four cases.

[The importance of interdisciplinary staff in the diagnosis of developmental dyslexia: case report].

We describe the work of the interdisciplinary staff of FCM/UNICAMP for the diagnosis of developmental dyslexia, evaluating a 9 years old boy from the second year of a first grade public school. The procedure consisted of four stages: 1) Interview with the mother (anamnesis); 2) neuropsychological evaluation; 3) specific evaluation for reading and writing skills; 4) complementary exams. The results revealed that the child presented normal intelligence, normal auditory and visual function but difficulties in reading specific test, in auditory short-term memory (specially in auditory sequences), and in phonological conscience, as well as slowness, lack of concentration, slight neurological signs and hypoperfusion of the mesial portion of the temporal lobe.

Neuropsychological and phonological evaluation in the Apert's syndrome: study of two cases.

This study evaluated two cases of Apert's syndrome, through phonological, cognitive, and neuropsychological instruments and correlated the results to complementary exams. In short, this study reveals the necessity of application of neuropsychological, cognitive and phonological evaluation and correlation of the results with complementary testings because significant differences can be present in the Apert's syndrome.

[Medical residence in pediatric neurology in Brazil].

We present the results of a research on Medical Residence in Pediatric Neurology, classifying present information on the teaching and training in the several centers of formation in Brazil. It was possible to contact 17 Institutions with organized services, being 6 accredited by CNRM (National Council of Medical residence), 10 non accredited, and one under diligence. The program content is developed in 3 or 4 years, including the pre-qualification, being the annual schedule load variable, from 1900 to 2880 hours / year.

[Comparison of the neuropsychological assessment in a girl with bilateral cerebrovascular disease (moyamoya) before and after surgical intervention].

Moyamoya is a chronic progressive cerebrovascular disease with characteristic angiographic findings and a clinical picture with episodes of transient ischemic attacks, headache, seizures, hemiparesis, which may resolve after surgical treatment. We describe the case of a girl with the typical findings of the disease, comparing them before and after surgery with the use of neuropsychological tests, neurological examination and laboratory tests.

Cerebrovascular disease in newborn infants. Report of three cases with clinical follow-up and brain SPECT imaging.

The clinical and neurological findings of three neonates with the diagnosis of cerebrovascular disease are reported. The neuropsychological evaluation disclosed impairment of fine motor function, coordination, language, perception and behavioral disturbances. Brain SPECT imaging revealed perfusional deficits in the three cases.

Fragile X syndrome. Clinical, electroencephalographic and neuroimaging characteristics.

We studied 11 patients (9 males) with cytogenetic diagnosis of fragile X syndrome (FXS) with the purpose of investigating the neural circuitry involved in this condition. The ages ranged from 8 to 19. All the individuals presented large ears, elongated faces and autistic features.

[Surgical treatment of strabismus by sagittal cutting of the oblique muscles. Apropos of 449 cases].

The theoretical proposals and the therapeutic approach described at the beginning of the sixties by Gobin concerning the treatment of incomitant strabismus have had such positive results as to convince many surgeons to adopt this methodology. The principal merit of Gobin's technique lies in evaluation of all aspects of the strabismus (horizontal, vertical and oblique) searching for the obstacles to ocular movements which cause alteration of binocular vision and removing them. According to the above criteria, we have operated 449 cases of incomitant strabismus due to sagittalization of the oblique muscles.