Coaching inexperienced clinicians before a high stakes medical procedure: randomized clinical trial.

Objective: To assess whether training provided to an inexperienced clinician just before performing a high stakes procedure can improve procedural care quality, measuring the first attempt success rate of trainees performing infant orotracheal intubation.

Design: Randomized clinical trial.

Setting: Single center, quaternary children's hospital in Boston, MA, USA.

Types and Predictors of Service use Among Young Children Recommended to Receive Intensive Services After Initial Autism Spectrum Disorder Diagnosis.

Intensive services are recommended for young children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Limited research on service receipt in states with mandated ASD-specific service coverage suggests that it remains low, and factors associated with intensity are unclear. Participants were 206 children from the Boston Outcomes of Autism in Toddlers study living in states with autism mandates, diagnosed with ASD through a multidisciplinary consultation at 12-36 months, and recommended to receive at least 20 h of services weekly.

High-Fidelity Cleft Simulation Maintains Improvements in Performance and Confidence: A Prospective Study.

Objective: High-fidelity simulation has a growing role in plastic surgical education. This study tests the hypothesis that cleft lip repair simulation followed by structured debriefing improves performance and self-confidence and that gains are maintained.

Design: Prospective, single-blinded interventional study with repeated measures.

Male and Female Toddlers with DSM-5 Autism Spectrum Disorder have Similar Developmental Profiles and Core Autism Symptoms.

Compare developmental profiles and core ASD symptom manifestation between male and female toddlers with DSM-5 ASD. Retrospective record review of 500 toddlers (79% male) at time of ASD diagnosis. There were no differences in developmental functioning between males and females.

Cleft Lip Repair Competence Can Be Evaluated with High-fidelity Simulation.

Background: Demonstrating competency before independent practice is increasingly important in surgery. This study tests the hypothesis that a high-fidelity cleft lip simulator can be used to discriminate performance between training levels, demonstrating its utility for assessing procedural competence.

Methods: During this prospective cohort study, participants performed a unilateral cleft lip repair on a high-fidelity simulator.

Special Education Services and School-Related Quality of Life in Children With Learning Disorders and Their Families: A One-Year Follow-Up Study.

Learning disorders can have adverse impacts on children and families extending beyond the academic skills deficits. The goal of the present study was to assess the impact of the school's response, following an independent evaluation, for child and family school-related quality of life (QOL). We hypothesized that a positive school response would be associated with improved QOL.

Identifying Student Subgroups as a Function of School Level Attributes: A Multilevel Latent Class Analysis.

The purpose of the present study was to profile high school students' achievement as a function of their demographic characteristics, parent attributes (e.g., education), and school behaviors (e.

Identifying Subgroups of Toddlers with DSM-5 Autism Spectrum Disorder Based on Core Symptoms.

The objective of this study was to identify subgroups of toddlers with DSM-5 ASD based on core ASD symptoms using a person-based analytical framework. This is a retrospective study of 500 toddlers (mean age 26 months, 79% male) with DSM-5 ASD. Data were analyzed using latent class analyses in which profiles were formed based on ASD symptomatology.

Infant circulating MicroRNAs as biomarkers of effect in fetal alcohol spectrum disorders.

Prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) can result in cognitive and behavioral disabilities and growth deficits. Because alcohol-related neurobehavioral deficits may occur in the absence of overt dysmorphic features or growth deficits, there is a need to identify biomarkers of PAE that can predict neurobehavioral impairment. In this study, we assessed infant plasma extracellular, circulating miRNAs (miRNAs) obtained from a heavily exposed Cape Town cohort to determine whether these can be used to predict PAE-related growth restriction and cognitive impairment.

Pathogenic Yield of Genetic Testing in Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Background And Objectives: Genetic testing is recommended for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Pathogenic yield varies by clinician and/or patient characteristics. Our objectives were to determine the pathogenic yield of genetic testing, the variability in rate of pathogenic results based on subject characteristics, and the percentage of pathogenic findings resulting in further medical recommendations in toddlers with a diagnosis of ASD.

A Competency Assessment Tool for Unilateral Cleft Lip Repair.

Unlabelled: Objective evaluation of operative performance is increasingly important in surgical training. Evaluation tools include global rating scales of performance and procedure-specific skills checklists. For unilateral cleft lip repair, the numerous techniques make universal evaluation challenging.

Accounting for Differential Item Functioning Using Bayesian Approximate Measurement Invariance.

The main thesis of the present study is to use the Bayesian structural equation modeling (BSEM) methodology of establishing approximate measurement invariance (A-MI) using data from a national examination in Saudi Arabia as an alternative to not meeting strong invariance criteria. Instead, we illustrate how to account for the absence of measurement invariance using relative compared to exact criteria. A secondary goal was to compare latent means across groups using invariant parameters only and through utilizing exact and relative evaluative-MI protocol suggested equivalence of the thresholds using prior variances equal to 0.

Measurement Invariance and Differential Item Functioning Across Gender Within a Latent Class Analysis Framework: Evidence From a High-Stakes Test for University Admission in Saudi Arabia.

The main aim of the present study was to investigate the presence of Differential Item Functioning (DIF) using a latent class (LC) analysis approach. Particularly, we examined potential sources of DIF in relation to gender. Data came from 6,265 Saudi Arabia students, who completed a high-stakes standardized admission test for university entrance.

Alignment of a Language Instrument Scores to CEFR Levels: Methodological and Empirical Considerations.

The purpose of the present report was to assess congruence between a language-based national examination (termed English placement test - EPT) and the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) levels. To this end, a series of methodological steps were put forth to accumulate evidence suggesting that language performance based on the EPT instrument can be split onto meaningful subgroups based on theoretical (expert judgement on difficulty level and CEFR correspondence) and empirical considerations (i.e.

Incorporating Cleft Lip Simulation Into a "Bootcamp-Style" Curriculum.

Introduction: The traditions of surgical education have changed little over the years. However, the increasing focus on patient safety and duty hour restrictions mandates that residents start developing complex skill sets earlier to ensure they graduate with procedural competency. Surgical training is poised to exploit high-fidelity simulation technology to mitigate these pressures.

An Application of Reliability Estimation in Longitudinal Designs Through Modeling Item-Specific Error Variance.

The purpose of the present study was to apply the methodology developed by Raykov on modeling item-specific variance for the measurement of internal consistency reliability with longitudinal data. Participants were a randomly selected sample of 500 individuals who took on a professional qualifications test in Saudi Arabia over four different occasions. Data were analyzed by use of confirmatory factor analysis, and item error variance was corrected for item specificity.

Using Confidence Intervals of the Item and Test Information Functions to Test Differential Item and Test Functioning: Visual and Statistical Analyses.

The purpose of the present paper was twofold: (a) to use 95% confidence intervals of the item and test information functions as a means of visualizing differences between groups on the information provided at the item and test levels, and, (b) to statistically compare item and test information functions as a method for evaluating differential item and differential test functioning. Participants were 2,305 high school students who took a Mathematics National entrance examination in Saudi Arabia. Item and test information functions, conditional standard errors of measurement and reliability were estimated for both males and females.

An IRT-Multiple Indicators Multiple Causes (MIMIC) Approach as a Method of Examining Item Response Latency.

The analysis of response time has received increasing attention during the last decades, since evidence from several studies supported the argument that there is a direct relationship between item response time and test performance. The aim of this study was to investigate whether item response latency affects person's ability parameters, in that it represents an adaptive or maladaptive practice. To examine the above research question data from 8,475 individuals completing the computerized version of the Postgraduate General Aptitude Test (PAGAT) were analyzed.

Assessing Construct Validity in Math Achievement: An Application of Multilevel Structural Equation Modeling (MSEM).

The purpose of the present study was to model math achievement at both the person and university levels of the analyses in order to understand the optimal factor structure of math competency. Data involved 2,881 students who took a national mathematics examination as part of their entry at the university public system in Saudi Arabia. Four factors from the National math examination comprised the math achievement measure, namely, numbers and operations, algebra and analysis, geometry and measurement, and, statistics and probabilities.

Quality of Life in Children and Adolescents With Learning Problems: Development and Validation of the LD/QOL15 Scale.

Learning problems (LP) can have wider implications than the academic deficits per se. The goal of the present series of studies was to develop a reliable and valid quality-of-life measure targeted to children and adolescents with LP. In Study 1, using a 35-item questionnaire, we surveyed 151 parents/guardians of children referred for assessment of learning disorders.

Can the Relationship Between Rapid Automatized Naming and Word Reading Be Explained by a Catastrophe? Empirical Evidence From Students With and Without Reading Difficulties.

The purpose of the present study was to explain the moderating role of rapid automatized naming (RAN) in word reading with a cusp catastrophe model. We hypothesized that increases in RAN performance speed beyond a critical point would be associated with the disruption in word reading, consistent with a "generic shutdown" hypothesis. Participants were 587 elementary schoolchildren (Grades 2-4), among whom 87 had reading comprehension difficulties per the IQ-achievement discrepancy criterion.

Validation of Response Similarity Analysis for the Detection of Academic Cheating: An Experimental Study.

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate various analytical means to detect academic cheating in an experimental setting. The omega index was compared and contrasted given a gold criterion of academic cheating which entailed a discrepant score between two administrations using an experimental study with real test takers. Participants were 164 elementary school students who were administered a mathematics exam followed by an equivalent mock exam under conditions of strict and relaxed, invigilation, respectively.

The Impact of Non-attempted and Dually-Attempted Items on Person Abilities Using Item Response Theory.

The purpose of the present study was to relate response strategy with person ability estimates. Two behavioral strategies were examined: (a) the strategy to skip items in order to save time on timed tests, and, (b) the strategy to select two responses on an item, with the hope that one of them may be considered correct. Participants were 4,422 individuals who were administered a standardized achievement measure related to math, biology, chemistry, and physics.

Examining the relationship between home literacy environment and neural correlates of phonological processing in beginning readers with and without a familial risk for dyslexia: an fMRI study.

Developmental dyslexia is a language-based learning disability characterized by persistent difficulty in learning to read. While an understanding of genetic contributions is emerging, the ways the environment affects brain functioning in children with developmental dyslexia are poorly understood. A relationship between the home literacy environment (HLE) and neural correlates of reading has been identified in typically developing children, yet it remains unclear whether similar effects are observable in children with a genetic predisposition for dyslexia.