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Biomedical subjects

O Udwin

Publications and source records attributed to O Udwin.

29 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1990

Expressive language of children with Williams syndrome.

It has been claimed that Williams syndrome (WS) children have an unusual command of language reminiscent of "cocktail party speech." An analysis of the spoken language of 43 school-age WS children showed a subgroup (37% of the sample) who produced significantly more speech, more complex utterances, more social phrases and clichés, and more complex communicative functions, when compared with the rest of the WS group. Thus, hyperverbal speech is not a consistent manifestation of the syndrome. The speech of 20 WS children was compared with the speech of mentally handicapped control children. There were no differences in the quantity of language produced, in its grammatical complexity, or in the range and frequency of communicative functions that were expressed. But more of the WS children had an over-familiar manner and used more adult vocabulary and social phrases. It is suggested that their speech appears so different from the speech of other mentally handicapped children primarily because of these vocabulary and stylistic differences, and because of the contrast between their verbal abilities and their more impaired visuo-spatial and motor skills.

Abnormalities, Multiple↗
PubMed1990

The 'Jupiter' sinking: effects on children's fears, depression and anxiety.

Twenty-five girls who survived the sinking of the cruise ship 'Jupiter' were compared with three other groups of girls--71 controls from a separate school; 46 girls in the same school who had not wanted to go on the cruise; and 13 girls who were in a 'near miss' group in that they wanted to go but did not get places. All completed the Fear Survey Schedule for Children (revised form), the Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale and the Birleson Depression Inventory. Survivors did not become generally more fearful. Rather, they developed significantly greater fears to stimuli related to the traumatic event. The results are discussed in relation to the conditioning theory of the acquisition of phobias.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1990

A survey of adults with Williams syndrome and idiopathic infantile hypercalcaemia.

Questionnaires completed by the caregivers of 119 adults with Williams syndrome or idiopathic infantile hypercalcaemia gave information on current living arrangements, daytime occupations and attainments, self-care skills, social relationships, behavioural and adjustment difficulties and the impact of Williams syndrome and idiopathic infantile hypercalcaemia on caregivers and their families. Many were reported to have marked behavioural and social difficulties persisting into adulthood, and most required some supervision and support in everyday activities such as dressing, toileting and preparing food. Some caregivers were dissatisfied with the level of educational attainment, current daytime occupations and support received from professionals. Over half were concerned about future living arrangements and daytime occupations. Comparisons between the questionnaires for the two groups revealed no phenotypical differences in their abilities or behavioural characteristics.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1990

Augmentative communication systems taught to cerebral palsied children--a longitudinal study. I. The acquisition of signs and symbols, and syntactic aspects of their use over time.

A longitudinal study of augmentative communication training with 40 language-impaired, cerebral palsied children examined the acquisition of Blissymbols and Makaton Vocabulary signs and syntactic aspects of their use over an 18-month period. The children made measurable gains in these areas over time, but progress was very slow and they continued to show severe limitations in the repertoires of signs/symbols they acquired and in the average number, length and complexity of utterances they produced in semi-structured conversational settings. Possible reasons for these findings are discussed with reference to subject and system characteristics, and the teaching practices adopted in the schools. Comparisons between the Bliss and signing groups suggest that neither augmentative system facilitated greater progress in sign/symbol acquisition and use than the other. However, there was wide variability in performance among the children within each group.

Cerebral Palsy↗
PubMed1987

Cognitive abilities and behavioural characteristics of children with idiopathic infantile hypercalcaemia.

An investigation of the psychological characteristics of 44 children aged 6-16 years with documented evidence of idiopathic infantile hypercalcaemia revealed cognitive abilities and behavioural patterns which distinguish these children from other mentally handicapped groups. The children were all mildly to severely mentally handicapped, but exhibited superior verbal skills compared to their visuo-spatial and motor abilities. They showed high rates of behavioural disturbance, particularly in terms of hyperactivity, social isolation, anxiety, and eating and sleeping difficulties. Other aspects of behaviour, spoken language and personality that were commonly encountered are also described and quantified. From these observations approaches to remedial teaching are suggested.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1986

Age at diagnosis and abilities in idiopathic hypercalcaemia.

Forty three children aged 6 to 16 years with a documented history of idiopathic infantile hypercalcaemia were assessed on a variety of cognitive and behavioural measures. No relation was found between the age at which hypercalcaemia was diagnosed and subsequent full scale intelligence quotients (IQ) and reading or spelling abilities. Verbal IQ was, however, significantly higher than performance IQ, which had an inverse relation with age at diagnosis. Furthermore, scores for deviant behaviour were found to correlate with age at diagnosis. Thus the characteristic psychological profile of this syndrome may be in part a function of hypercalcaemia during infancy.

Adolescent↗