Sensibilité et spécificité du CHildhood EXecutive functioning Inventory (CHEXI) chez des enfants avec troubles attentionnels

in ANAE : Approche Neuropsychologique des Apprentissages chez l'Enfant (2011), 115

Thorell and Nyberg (2008) have recently developed the Childhood Executive Functioning Inventory (CHEXI), a new rating inventory of executive functioning for children that can be divided into four a priori ... [more ▼]

Thorell and Nyberg (2008) have recently developed the Childhood Executive Functioning Inventory (CHEXI), a new rating inventory of executive functioning for children that can be divided into four a priori subscales: working memory, planning, inhibition, and regulation The major goals of our study is to present a French adaptation of this questionnaire and to discuss its clinical interests in terms of sensibility and specificity with children with attentional deficits. [less ▲]

Organisation factorielle et évaluation des fonctions exécutives chez l’enfant en âge préscolaire et scolaire

in ANAE : Approche Neuropsychologique des Apprentissages chez l'Enfant (2011), 112-113

This paper aims to [1] review the main studies that have examined the factorial organization of executive functions, and particularly those relative to inhibition, flexibility, and working memory during ... [more ▼]

This paper aims to [1] review the main studies that have examined the factorial organization of executive functions, and particularly those relative to inhibition, flexibility, and working memory during early and middle childhood, and [2] present the executive tools that are mainly used in clinical settings with children. Most of the studies have shown evidence of a fractionation of executive functions in childhood. Moreover, some of these studies suggest a progressive and specific differentiation of these processes during development. Specific and adequate tools are therefore necessary to assess executive processes in clinical settings. [less ▲]

Early Bifrontal Brain Injury: Disturbances in Cognitive Function Development

in Neurology Research International (2010)

We describe six psychomotor, language, and neuropsychological sequential developmental evaluations in a boy who sustained a severe bifrontal traumatic brain injury (TBI) at 19 months of age. Visuospatial ... [more ▼]

We describe six psychomotor, language, and neuropsychological sequential developmental evaluations in a boy who sustained a severe bifrontal traumatic brain injury (TBI) at 19 months of age. Visuospatial, drawing, and writing skills failed to develop normally. Gradually increasing difficulties were noted in language leading to reading and spontaneous speech difficulties. The last two evaluations showed executive deficits in inhibition, flexibility, and working memory. Those executive abnormalities seemed to be involved in the other impairments. In conclusion, early frontal brain injury disorganizes the development of cognitive functions, and interactions exist between executive function and other cognitive functions during development. [less ▲]

Parental socio-educational influence on executive measures and socio-adaptative behaviours in preschooler

in Books of Conference Abstract: The10th European Conference on Psychological Assessment, (2009)

The influence of educational variables on cognitive development, and particularly on the development of executive functions, remains poorly understood. In this study, we examined the parental socio ... [more ▼]

The influence of educational variables on cognitive development, and particularly on the development of executive functions, remains poorly understood. In this study, we examined the parental socio-educational influence on both executive functioning and social/emotional behaviours in preschoolers. We administered to 77 children (2 age groups: 4 and 5-year-old) divided into two educational levels (HL vs. LL, i.e. High Level vs. Low Level of parental socio-educational status) several tasks measuring different aspects of the executive functioning (cognitive flexibility, inhibition, logico-deductive reasoning, and working memory). Questionnaires were also completed by the teaching staff in order to assess the children’s social (e.g., loneliness), emotional (e.g., anxiety), and adaptative (e.g., tolerance) behaviours at school. Results reveal that children from high socio-educational status performed significantly better on some specific verbal (fluency, verbal reasoning) and non-verbal executive tasks (deductive reasoning, inhibition) than children from lower socio-educational status (ps<.05). On the other hand, no significant socio-educational effect was found for working memory and cognitive flexibility. Regarding their social, emotional, and adaptative behaviours, LL children did not significantly differ from HL children, except for the anxiety scale, in which LL children were described as less confident than their HL peers. So, our results confirm that educational variables can significantly influence the development of specific executive functions, and that this can already be observed in preschool children. On the contrary, regarding the socio-adaptative behaviours, our results indicate that the parental socio-educational status does not seem to have a significant influence on the preschoolers’ behaviour at school. [less ▲]

Troubles des émotions et de la cognition sociale. Traité de Neuropsychologie de l’enfant.

in Poncelet, Martine; Majerus, Steve; Van der Linden, Martial (Eds.) Traité de Neuropsychologie de l’enfant (2009)

The Real Animal Size Test (RAST): A new measure of inhibitory control for young children

in European Journal of Psychological Assessment (2009), 25(2),

Inhibitory control disturbances are reported in numerous developmental and acquired neuropsychological disorders of young children. In this study, a new assessment tool, the Real Animal Size Test (RAST ... [more ▼]

Inhibitory control disturbances are reported in numerous developmental and acquired neuropsychological disorders of young children. In this study, a new assessment tool, the Real Animal Size Test (RAST) was tested. It includes four conditions: The first two conditions assess speed of processing and require making quick decisions, by pressing a response key, on the real size of animals and the on-screen size of big or small rectangles; the third and fourth condition (combined into one) require the child to decide the real size of animals displayed in congruent or incongruent size on the screen. Participants in the study were 90 children aged 5-9 years old. The results confirmed that the RAST provides a good measure of inhibitory control in children. In a second experiment, 15 children 5–9 years old with attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder symptoms (ADHD) participated; the RAST was also administered. The clinical pertinence of the RAST for ADHD symptoms is discussed. [less ▲]

Le trouble de l’attention avec hyperactivité : un trouble spécifique de l’inhibition ?

Poster (2007)

Unité de Neuropsychologie, Université de Liège (Belgique) Introduction Le trouble d’attention avec hyperactivité (ou ADHD, Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder) se caractérise par [1] un trouble ... [more ▼]

Unité de Neuropsychologie, Université de Liège (Belgique) Introduction Le trouble d’attention avec hyperactivité (ou ADHD, Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder) se caractérise par [1] un trouble d’attention, [2] une importante agitation motrice et [3] une impulsivité motrice. Ce trouble présente une prévalence estimée à 5 à 10% de la population prépubère, avec une nette prédominance masculine. Les conséquences de l’ADHD sont importantes : échec scolaire, difficultés d’apprentissages, mauvaise intégration sociale… En neuropsychologie, l’approche de l’ADHD vise à mieux comprendre les difficultés cognitives – et en particulier exécutives – que présentent ces enfants. Ainsi, s’il apparaît qu’un grand nombre de processus exécutifs sont altérés (voir Willcutt et al., 2005), plusieurs auteurs soulignent qu’un déficit de l’inhibition constituerait l’élément-clé qui rendrait compte des manifestations cognitives et cliniques de ce syndrome (Barkley, 1997). De nombreuses recherches ont toutefois suggéré que l’inhibition ne renvoie pas à un processus unitaire mais implique au contraire plusieurs sous-composants (inhibition verbale, motrice, perceptive ; voir par exemple Nassauer & Halperin, 2003). L’objectif de cette étude consiste à déterminer dans quelle mesure les troubles de l’inhibition présentés par les enfants ADHD sont sous-tendus par un déficit généralisé des processus inhibiteurs ou au contraire par une atteinte spécifique d’un de ces processus. Méthode Nous avons administré à 13 enfants ADHD âgé de 6 à 12 ans et 13 enfants de contrôle (appariés sur base de l’âge et du sexe) des tâches d’inhibition évaluant les capacités d’inhibition verbale (test de Stroop), motrice (épreuves de la Statue et du Go/No Go) et perceptive (Nassauer & Halperin, 2003), et une épreuve de raisonnement (Matrices de Raven Colorées). Résultats Les analyses de comparaison de moyennes indiquent que les enfants ADHD présentent des performances inférieures à celles des enfants de contrôle pour l’ensemble des épreuves d’inhibition : inhibition verbale (p<.05), motrice (p<.001) et perceptive (p<.01). Toutefois, des analyses de covariance montrent que lorsque l’on contrôle le niveau de raisonnement, les différences entre nos deux groupes disparaissent pour toutes les tâches, à l’exception de l’épreuve d’inhibition motrice « Statue ». Discussion Ces résultats préliminaires suggèrent que les enfants ADHD ne présentent pas un déficit généralisé des processus inhibiteurs, et que les troubles de l’inhibition motrice constituent probablement un élément-clé caractérisant le profil cognitif de ces enfants. Ces données confirment par ailleurs l’idée selon laquelle le concept d’inhibition recouvre des processus différents susceptibles d’être affectés de façon spécifique dans l’ADHD. [less ▲]

Effect of parental socio-educational level on memory and attentional measures in children

in Book of Abstracts: Annual Meeting of the Belgian Association for Psychological Science (2006)

In developmental neuropsychology, information about the influence of educational variables on executive and memory development is limited. This is particularly surprising when considering the adult ... [more ▼]

In developmental neuropsychology, information about the influence of educational variables on executive and memory development is limited. This is particularly surprising when considering the adult literature regarding the social and cultural effects on cognitive performances, which provide evidence that groups with higher levels of education achieve better on most neuropsychological tests (Ostrosky, Ardila, & Rosselli, 1999). The aim of this study was to analyze the relation between parents’ educational level and executive, attentional, memory and intellectual measures. Memory tasks (working and episodic memory), executive (inhibition and switching), attentional (alertness and selective attentional task) and intellectual tasks (verbal and non verbal subtests of WISC-III) were individually administered to 96 children divided according to 2 variables: age (6 and 10 years old) and parent’s educational level (University, High School and Elementary Education). Results showed an expected significant association between age and performance on all cognitive tasks. There was also a significant effect of parents’ educational level on most verbal tasks performed by children (including memory and verbal intellectual subtests) but also on various executive and attentional tasks (alertness, switching and inhibition tasks). Results confirmed that educational variables significantly influence children cognitive performances and not for only intelligence and verbal tasks, and emphasizes the need of further studies to specify the influence of education on the development of cognition. [less ▲]

Development of new assessment tools for attentional and executive functioning in children

in Books of Conference Abstract: The 8th European Conference on Psychological Assessment, (2005)

In developmental neuropsychology, attentional and executive impairments are commonly reported following acquired neurological/developmental disorders such as Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), epilepsy, ADHD… ... [more ▼]

In developmental neuropsychology, attentional and executive impairments are commonly reported following acquired neurological/developmental disorders such as Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), epilepsy, ADHD… Unfortunately, most of attentional tests used in child neuropsychology were originally developed for adults and are of limited interest for children (notably because of their lack of attractiveness or because they require some non-developed skills). From a cognitive perspective, it is therefore often difficult to interpret the results obtained with such tools in children. The aim of this study was to develop assessment tasks of attentional/executive functioning which are more attractive (by using colored/familiar stimuli) and more theoretically relevant for young children. The tasks are based on Posner’s attentional model, which includes selective and sustained attention, attentional shifting and cognitive inhibition. Eighty children aged from 5 to 11 with no developmental/neurological deficits were administered tasks assessing visual selective attention (selecting a specific character among distractors), sustained attention (crossing dinosaurs in 5 minutes), flexibility (shifting between name and colour of stimuli), and inhibition (naming the real colour of a red banana or a yellow strawberry). Results confirmed the interest of these tasks in the assessment of attentional functioning in children, thanks to both their limited duration of administration and the stimuli’s attractiveness. Furthermore, results showed that tasks are sensitive to attentional development from 5 to 11 years old (p < .05). Finally, a preliminary study showed that some tasks can be particularly sensitive to attentional disorders in a clinical population of TBI children. [less ▲]

Le trouble d’attention avec hyperactivité. Diagnostic, évaluation et perspectives de prise en charge

Conference given outside the academic context (2004)