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Dyslexia: the Role of Vision and Visual Attention
Abstract Dyslexia is more than just difficulty with translating letters into sounds. Many dyslexics have problems with clearly seeing letters and their order. These difficulties may be caused by abnormal development of their visual “magnocellular” (M) nerve cells; these mediate the ability to rapidly identify letters and their order because they control visual guidance of attention and of eye fixations. Evidence for M cell impairment has been demonstrated at all levels of the visual system: in the retina, in the lateral geniculate nucleus, in the primary visual cortex and throughout the dorsal visuomo...
Source: Current Developmental Disorders Reports - September 26, 2014 Category: Child Development Source Type: research

Sleep in Tourette Syndrome
Abstract Tourette syndrome (TS) is a heritable developmental neuropsychiatric disorder and is defined as part of a spectrum of motor and vocal tic disorders (TD). Sleep problems are a common feature associated with TS/TD. They may affect daytime tic expression and neurobehavioral functioning. However, sleep studies on TS/TD are still scarce, and firm conclusions about the relationship of tics and sleep are difficult to draw. In this review, we summarize the existing knowledge about sleep problems in TS/TD and advocate for better understanding of their nature. Neglected links between the neurobiology of sl...
Source: Current Developmental Disorders Reports - September 4, 2014 Category: Child Development Source Type: research

Dyslexia and Remediation/Education: Where Next?
Abstract Interventions to support students with reading difficulties have existed for over 70 years. This paper rehearses the need for interventions to be grounded in theory and empirical evidence about reading processes. The suggestion that the next generation of interventions should go beyond simple context-independent small unit phonics teaching to cover context-dependent larger phonological units is evaluated. Examples of contemporary interventions that involve large units, and morphology are presented. Current interventions reported target students with literacy difficulties regardless of a diagnosi...
Source: Current Developmental Disorders Reports - September 4, 2014 Category: Child Development Source Type: research

Motor-Based Intervention Protocols in Treatment of Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS)
Abstract This paper reviews current trends in treatment for childhood apraxia of speech (CAS), with a particular emphasis on motor-based intervention protocols. The paper first briefly discusses how CAS fits into the typology of speech sound disorders, which is followed by a discussion of the potential relevance of principles derived from the motor learning literature for CAS treatment. Next, various motor-based treatment protocols are reviewed, along with their evidence base. The paper concludes with a summary and discussion of future research needs. (Source: Current Developmental Disorders Reports)
Source: Current Developmental Disorders Reports - September 1, 2014 Category: Child Development Source Type: research

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders: Recent Neuroimaging Findings
Abstract Since the identification of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome over 40 years ago, much has been learned about the detrimental effects of prenatal alcohol exposure on the developing brain. This review highlights recent neuroimaging studies within the context of previous work. Structural magnetic resonance imaging has described morphological differences in the brain and their relationships to cognitive deficits and measures of facial dysmorphology. Diffusion tensor imaging has elaborated on the relationship between white matter microstructure and behavior. Atypical neuromaturation across childhood and adole...
Source: Current Developmental Disorders Reports - September 1, 2014 Category: Child Development Source Type: research

Identification of Children With Prenatal Alcohol Exposure
Abstract The term “fetal alcohol spectrum disorders” (FASD) denotes the broad spectrum of morphological changes and functional deficits seen in children exposed to alcohol prenatally. While some children on the spectrum show the characteristic pattern of malformations called “fetal alcohol syndrome” (FAS), a significant proportion of alcohol-exposed children do not evidence clinically identifiable morphological alterations. The term “alcohol-related neurodevelopmental disorder” (ARND) is used to label the latter group. The identification of children with ARND has proven to be challenging bec...
Source: Current Developmental Disorders Reports - September 1, 2014 Category: Child Development Source Type: research