Publications by authors named "Nicolette Soler"

Purpose: To understand the breadth of sensory dysregulation on participation in daily tasks for young people with tic disorders, as research identified that sensory dysregulation experiences are broader than the symptoms being assessed.

Methods: Eighteen semi-structured interviews were conducted with 16 families with children (5-16 years) with tic disorders. Interviews ranged from 45 to 120 min and were transcribed verbatim.

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Self-regulation, which encompasses cognitive, behavioural, and emotional domains, poses challenges in consistent measurement due to diverse definitions and conceptual complexities. In recognition of its profound impact on long-term mental health and wellbeing in children, this systematic review examined available self-regulation measures for children and young people between 1 and 18 years of age. The systematic review followed the COSMIN taxonomy and reported on the measurement tools' characteristics and psychometric properties.

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Aim: To determine the quality and utility of proxy-reported sensory measures for children and adolescents with neurodevelopmental disorders (such as autism spectrum disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, movement disorders, and intellectual disability).

Method: We systematically searched 11 databases. We applied the updated Consensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement INstruments (COSMIN) Risk of Bias checklist and criteria for good measurement properties to evaluate instrument development and psychometric properties.

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Although genetic variation is a major risk factor of neurodevelopmental disorders, environmental factors during pregnancy and early life are also important in disease expression. Animal models demonstrate that maternal inflammation causes fetal neuroinflammation and neurodevelopmental deficits, and brain transcriptomics of neurodevelopmental disorders in humans show upregulated differentially expressed genes are enriched in immune pathways. We prospectively recruited 200 sequentially referred children with tic disorders/obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), 100 autoimmune neurological controls, and 100 age-matched healthy controls.

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Background: Tics are conceptualized as a sensorimotor phenomenon with a premonitory urge typically described by patients. As observed in other neurodevelopmental disorders, we have observed sensory dysregulation symptoms, such as tactile hypersensitivity to clothing, in children with tic disorders; however, formal clinical research in this area is limited.

Objective: To define the presence of sensory dysregulation symptoms in tic disorders, and their clinical associations.

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Objectives: This preliminary study explored whether an adapted approach to the Alert Program, that uses sensorimotor strategies, might assist with management of tic disorders in children. The Alert Program, a program that uses sensorimotor strategies for self-regulation in children with neurodevelopmental disorders, had not been trialled with children with tic disorders.

Methods: Ten children with tic disorder were assessed using the Dunn Sensory Profile 2 (SP2), the Yale Global Tic Severity Scale (YGTSS) and the Parent Tic Questionnaire (PTQ).

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