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Biomedical subjects

M Prior

Publications and source records attributed to M Prior.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1986

Attention deficit disorder with hyperactivity: a critique.

The DSM III category of Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity is considered within a framework of Rutter's (1977) outline of criteria for adequacy of psychiatry classification. Discussion of problems with the operationalization and definition of 'attention deficit' and the difficulty of using this rubric in distinguishing between ADDH and other related childhood disorders, along with the consequent failure to meet other important criteria, leads to the conclusion that the concept needs re-appraisal.

Arousal↗
PubMed1986

Temperament of preterm versus full-term infants.

The temperament of a group of preterm infants (n = 126) was studied as part of a large, longitudinal study of infant temperament and behavior in a representative sample of Australian infants (n = 2443). Utilizing the Infant Temperament Questionnaire of Carey and McDevitt, previously revised and validated for an Australian population, ratings were made at 4 to 8 months corrected age, and data for the preterm group (less than 37 weeks gestation) were compared to those infants born at term (37 to 41 weeks). There were no significant differences between the two groups on any of the sociodemographic variables, on the mother's global rating of temperament, or on the reported incidence of colic, sleep problems, and excessive crying. There were also no differences between premature and full-term infants on any of the individual dimensions or clinical categories of temperament. We conclude that prematurity per se does not affect observed temperament at 4 to 8 months. However, we cannot extend these conclusions to high-risk infants who experience medical complications of prematurity, and who require intensive care for prolonged periods of time. These may represent an entirely different category of risk for subsequent difficult temperament and behavior problems.

Humans↗
PubMed1985

Motor imitation abilities and neurological signs in autistic children.

Autistic children were compared with chronological and mental age-matched normal children on two tests of motor imitation and on the Herzig Battery for Non-Focal Neurological Signs. The results indicated that autistic children have significant handicaps in the neurodevelopmental area, with very poor performance on motor imitation tasks and a universal and significant excess of soft signs of neurological dysfunction. Such "dyspraxias" may underlie the failure of these children to learn to use gesture.

Autistic Disorder↗
PubMed1985

Surface dyslexia: a regression effect?

Although the disorder of acquired surface dyslexia is considered as a pathological syndrome in the psycholinguistic and neuropsychological literature, it may also be conceived of as part of a general regression in functioning consequent upon brain damage. Data on some of the identified features of surface dyslexia were obtained from normal children learning to read and adult subjects, in order to examine the hypothesis that the symptoms are similar to the behavior of unskilled readers, suggesting regression as a more parsimonious explanation for the disorder. Attention is also drawn to problems in quantifying its major feature--the "regularity" effect.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

Auditory attentional abilities in hyperactive children.

Using dichotic monitoring procedures, various aspects of auditory attention were examined in hyperactive children and matched normal controls. Hyperactive children did not show deficits in the ability to sustain attention, although signal detection analysis showed some lowered capacity in both focused and selective attention to targets. Subsamples of learning-disabled and neurologically impaired hyperactive children showed minimal impairment of auditory attentional capacities. It was argued that more evidence concerning task and situational effects is needed before it can be claimed that hyperactive children show attention deficits.

Attention↗
PubMed1985

Temperament in infants born prematurely.

The temperament of infants born prematurely was studied to examine further the notion that prematurity may be a risk factor for an infant's subsequent social interaction. The Infant Temperament Questionnaire of Carey and McDevitt was revised and revalidated for an Australian population and sent to mothers of infants who had been born prematurely (36 weeks or less) and who were aged 4 to 8 months (corrected for prematurity). Two hundred and twenty-six questionnaires were distributed and 110 (49%) returned. There were no differences between respondents and nonrespondents with respect to gestational age, birth weight, method of delivery, Apgar scores, or perinatal complications. When compared to a control group (N = 240) of infants born at term and who came from families with similar demographic characteristics, infants born prematurely did not differ significantly on any of the nine temperament dimensions. Both groups had similar proportions of "easy," "difficult," and "slow to warm up" infants, and there were no significant differences in maternal global ratings of temperament between the two groups. Comparisons of infants of less than 33 weeks gestation gave results similar to those reported above. These data indicate that infants born prematurely have temperament profiles at 4 to 8 months similar to infants born at term.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

Schedule-induced behavior in hyperactive children.

A schedule-induced behavior paradigm was used to investigate the activity patterns of hyperactive children in a standardized situation. In Experiment I, 10 hyperactive and 10 normal control children matched for age, sex, and IQ were observed under conditions of baseline and schedule. Measures of a number of categorized activities were taken on a time-sampling basis. Hyperactive children were more active than controls in baseline and did not respond to the schedule, unlike the controls who became significantly more active in schedule conditions. In Experiment II, 12 hyperactive and 6 normal children were again subjected to the same experimental paradigm, but in two of the four experimental sessions the stimulant drug methylphenidate was administered in an attempt to reduce the amount of baseline activity. Results were substantially similar to those of Experiment I, with hyperactive children more active than controls in baseline and insensitive to the schedule. There was no overall effect of drug administration on the behavior of either group. There were some rate-dependent effects of both drug and schedule conditions.

Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity↗
PubMed1984

The high incidence of reading disability in twin boys and its implications for genetic analyses.

In 1975 the Australian Council of Educational Research (ACER) conducted a nationwide survey of literacy and numeracy in 10- to 14-year olds. A total of 297 of the 12875 children involved were twins. By age 14, only 42% of the twin boys achieved adequate standards of literacy compared with 71% of single-born boys. The deficit in twin girls was much less and twins of both sexes were only moderately behind in numeracy. A survey of 9-13-year-old twin boys in the La Trobe Twin Study (LTS) produced similar results with 75% being below average in reading skills and 23% behind by 18 months or more, despite above average IQs. The ACER data are corroborated by teachers' reports obtained in the same survey, which indicate also how few of the twins with problems are receiving remediation and the high incidence of classroom problems in spelling and reading reversals. The pattern of mistakes twins make on specific items in the ACER survey can be explained as resulting either from specific cognitive deficits or from problems in concentration. The same factors influence performance on different tasks, so that literacy and numeracy are much more closely interrelated in twins than in singletons, and also correlate more with a measure of verbal intelligence. Implications for genetic analysis of scholastic achievement are examined, centering around the different factor structure of abilities in twins and common family environmental effects which are unique to twins.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1984

Temperament in Australian infants.

A convenience sample of 240 infants aged 4-8 months was studied to evaluate the suitability of a revised version of Carey's Infant Temperament Questionnaire (ITQ) for an Australian population. Data analyses indicated all item/dimension correlations significant at P less than 0.01 or better, satisfactory internal consistency of the instrument as measured by alpha coefficients, and test retest reliability of 0.79. Infants rated as having a 'difficult' temperament were significantly more likely to be reported as having problem behaviours. Significant differences were found between Australian and American infants on three of the nine temperament dimensions - rhythmicity, activity and intensity. The results of this study indicate that this revised ITQ is suitable for use with Australian infants.

Australia↗
PubMed1984

Prediction of reading disability in twin boys.

Thirty-six twin boys aged between nine and 13 were assessed for intelligence and reading disability. Records of their birth status, early language development and social demographic characteristics were also available. 72 per cent of the sample had an accuracy reading age below their chronological age, and 59 per cent had a comprehension reading age below their chronological age, despite above-normal IQ. The best predictor of reading disability was preschool language status, accounting for 33 per cent of the variance in accuracy reading age discrepancy, and 23 per cent in comprehension reading age discrepancy in regression equations. This study shows that male twins are at very high risk for reading disability, and also offers support for the claim that language disability is basic to the development of reading problems.

Achievement↗
PubMed1983

Acquired and developmental spelling dyslexia.

Two cases of acquired spelling dyslexia and one case of developmental spelling dyslexia are described along with accounts of their performance on various psycholinguistic tasks. It is argued that there is some evidence that spelling dyslexia may exist in developmental form but that parallels are difficult to draw because of the very different histories of child and adult cases. It is also suggested that features of surface dyslexia exist in at least a proportion of spelling dyslexic cases and that this may be influenced by level of premorbid reading skill.

Aged↗
PubMed1983

Surface dyslexia.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1983

Behavioural management for toddlers.

Introductory outlines of behavioural management for problems with toddlers. The need is noted for analysis of the whole family situation before intervention and basic behaviour modification techniques are described.

Behavior Therapy↗
PubMed1982

Identification of human trophoblast membrane antigens in maternal blood during pregnancy.

The development of an immunoradiometric assay for the detection of human trophoblast-specific membrane antigens is described. The test revealed for the first time circulating trophoblast-specific cell membrane antigens in the peripheral blood of pregnant women, but none in non-pregnant female or male controls. Comparison of the circulating levels of these trophoblast-specific proteins between normal and pre-eclamptic blood samples showed no significant differences, thus casting doubt on the role of differential trophoblast antigen deportation in the etiology of toxaemic pregnancy. Matched retroplacental cord blood from several normal and pre-eclamptic pregnancies were examined and found either negative or near the lower sensitivity limit of the assay, suggesting that deportation of trophoblast membrane antigens during gestation is limited to the maternal aspect of the placenta.

Antigens, Surface↗