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Biomedical subjects

A F Kalverboer

Publications and source records attributed to A F Kalverboer.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1994

Phenylketonuria and some aspects of emotional development.

Early dietary treatment of phenylketonuria (PKU) prevents intellectual retardation and gross neurological impairment although not all neuropsychological problems. This study investigates to what extent the illness and its treatment imposes a burden on emotional development of early-treated PKU patients and on rearing practices of their parents. It is concluded that in early-treated PKU it is particularly difficult to find constructive ways to adapt to the situation for children as well as for parents. As coping with PKU and its treatment is so complicated, paediatric control should be combined with psychocounselling.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

Motor and cognitive development in children with congenital hypothyroidism: a long-term evaluation of the effects of neonatal treatment.

Although neonatal thyroid screening programs have been of value in preventing cerebral damage, it is still controversial whether patients with congenital hypothyroidism achieve normal motor and cognitive skills. We studied the motor and cognitive skills of 72 children with early-treated congenital hypothyroidism and 35 control subjects at the ages of 7 1/2 and 9 1/2 years. The relative influence of cause, blood thyroxine concentration at the time of screening, and age at the start of thyroxine replacement therapy on motor and cognitive development was investigated. Despite having received treatment at a mean age of 23 days, children with low neonatal thyroxine concentrations (< 50 nmol/L) at screening, particularly children with thyroid agenesis, had significant motor problems and borderline intelligence scores as late as 9 1/2 years of age. Balance and gross motor functions seemed to decline between 7 1/2 and 9 1/2 years of age, whereas language and memory functions seemed to be maintained. Significant correlations between the start of therapy and both motor scores and performance IQ scores at the age of 7 1/2 years in children with severe hypothyroidism show the importance of early treatment for these patients.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1994

Physiotherapy for clumsy children: an evaluation study.

This study reports the findings of an effect-evaluation study of physiotherapy for clumsy children. 18 children were identified by school doctors as having poor motor co-ordination. They were followed for three months in order to exclude spontaneous improvement of motor problems; none spontaneously improved. Subsequently, these children were enrolled on a regular physiotherapy programme. Treatment was administered individually twice a week over three months. The effects of treatment for clumsy children appeared to be promising: important improvements were found on various motor skills. These benefits were maintained for a three-month period after the end of treatment.

Child↗
PubMed1994

Social behaviour and task orientation in early-treated PKU.

In the context of the Dutch Collaborative Study on the Psychological Development of Children, early treated for Phenylketonuria (PKU), data were obtained on children's behaviour as perceived by parents (n = 53) and teachers (n = 57), using standardized behavioural questionnaires. Results are compared with a group representative of Dutch school-aged children (n = 1381) with a matched control group (n = 38), and with a group, to be considered as "Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder" (ADHD, n = 38). Especially the clusters "negative task orientation" and "extraversion" distinguish between PKU children and controls. In parents' descriptions as well as in teachers' descriptions PKU children score higher in both clusters. Intriguing differences are found between PKU and ADHD. In parents' but not in teachers' descriptions PKU children show signs of negative task orientation almost to a similar degree as children with ADHD, but not of the signs of "negative social behaviour", characteristic for ADHD children. Data are discussed in terms of the effectiveness of early treatment and guidance.

Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity↗
PubMed1994

Information processing deficits in children with early and continuously treated phenylketonuria?

Thirty-three patients with early and continuously treated classical phenylketonuria (PKU) and 33 controls matched for age, gender, and educational level of both parents, participated in a chronometric study exploring elementary mechanisms of information processing. Subjects performed speeded performance tasks designed to systematically vary the load on perceptual, central, and output-related mechanisms of information processing. A preliminary analysis of the data indicated that the overall performance of patients with early and continuously treated PKU practically matched that of the controls on all three tasks. Although this finding must be interpreted with caution as it is based on only a preliminary analysis of the data, it suggests that PKU patients who are continuously maintained on a well-controlled phenylalanine-restricted diet are not deficient in the elementary mechanisms of processing. Given the more recent findings indicating that young children with early-treated classical PKU have specific cognitive deficits in the executive function skills, despite relatively strict dietary control, the authors suggest that future studies should focus on these higher-order cognitive processes.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

Neurobehavioural relationships in children: new facts, new fictions.

An overview is given of recent research developments with respect to the two main derivates of MBD, namely ADHD and clumsiness. Some conceptual and methodological issues of longitudinal and cross-sectional studies on early risk for neurobehavioural disorders are discussed.

Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity↗
PubMed1993

Rigidity, sensitivity and quality of attachment: the role of maternal rigidity in the early socio-emotional development of premature infants.

The associations between a mother's rigidity, her sensitivity in early (3 month) interaction and the quality of her premature infant's attachment at 13 months were investigated. Rigidity as a personality characteristic was not found to be significantly associated with sensitivity or quality of attachment. Rigid attitudes to child rearing were related to sensitivity and to the responsivity of the infant. Rigid attitudes were not related to security of attachment. Infants who were rated less responsive at 3 months, however, tended to be less securely attached, and high Attitude Rigidity in the mother increased their chances of an insecure attachment.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

[Intellectual development of patients with phenylketonuria; 15-year national screening in The Netherlands].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the intellectual development of patients with phenylketonuria (PKU) or hyperphenylalaninaemia (HPA). DESIGN: Longitudinal follow-up study. SETTING: University Children's Hospitals of Amsterdam, Groningen, Nijmegen, and Rotterdam. METHODS: In September 1974 a nationwide neonatal screening for PKU started in the Netherlands. We obtained data on the intellectual development of 116 patients (101 classical PKU, 15 HPA), all detected and treated in the first 15 years of this screening. The children were tested at 6 ages with different instruments for the assessment of intellectual functions, and the scores were compared with the test norms. Performance and verbal capacities were determined as well as possible sex-related differences. RESULTS: Our data show that the levels of intellectual functioning of PKU and HPA patients do not differ from test norms until the age of 8 yr 6 months. In the older PKU patients there appears to be a trend towards lower IQ scores. We found no sex differences in the mental functioning of PKU patients. CONCLUSION: Continuation of this study is necessary in order to investigate possible negative effects of PKU on cognitive functioning, especially in the older age groups.

Child↗
PubMed1989

[Intellectual development of phenylketonuria children treated early--a longitudinal study. 10 years' concomitant psychological study in The Netherlands].

Since 1st September 1974 almost all newborns in The Netherlands have been screened for phenylketonuria (PKU). Data collected between then and 1 October 1984 are presented, with respect to the intellectual functioning of 69 patients who received early treatment for PKU. Wherever possible, psychological testing was carried out at four key ages, namely 1.0 years, 2.0 years, 4.6 years, 6.6 years. The results of the tests revealed no differences in the mental levels of these patients and healthy children at any of the key ages. Also no sex differences at key ages 1 and 2 years related to this variable were found. The longitudinal course of the intellectual development in the first four and a half years was stable. The necessity for the continuation of screening and the collection of psychosocial data is discussed.

Child↗
PubMed1986

Aspects of the behavioral repertoire of an autistic/epileptic child.

The behavior of an autistic/epileptic child was investigated through indoor, outdoor, and laboratory contexts to acquire a catalog of behavior for the autistic condition, which to date was only partially available, and to provide the parameters of the units composing it. The catalog obtained is composed of 111 units of behavior whose descriptions and quantitative characteristics are also given. The study has also dealt with the subject's global behavioral output and lexical aspects of her repertoire. The results appear to admit the conclusion that the child's behavior was operating under a tendency to return to a stereotypic output state from other, short-lasting states of behavior. This observation needs a subsequent confirmatory analysis of behavioral output states involved. Moreover, the search for the orderly type/token relationship, proposed in 1977 by Fagen and Goldman to hold for behavior, has led to equivocal results.

Autistic Disorder↗
PubMed1983

Motor behaviour.

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Child Development↗
PubMed1983

Visuo-motor behaviour in pre-school children in relation to sex and neurological status: an experimental study on the effect of 'time-pressure'.

A detailed analysis was made of the visuo-motor behaviour of 139 pre-school children during a spatial-constructive task with and without time-pressure. The study focused mainly on sex differences and the implications of minor neurological dysfunctions for children's visuo-motor behaviour. Between sexes only minor differences in behavioural organization and efficiency were found. Between neurological groups only differences within the girls were found, those with lower neurological optimality scores showing more signs of 'lack of motor inhibition' and distraction in the prestress condition, seemingly related to differences in motivation. No effect was found for time-pressure for groups with a different neurological status.

Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity↗