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The Research of Intelligence and Specific Developmental Disorders in Children

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A special issue of Children (ISSN 2227-9067). This special issue belongs to the section "Pediatric Neurology & Neurodevelopmental Disorders".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (25 September 2022) | Viewed by 27271

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Monika Daseking

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Guest Editor

Educational Psychology, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Helmut Schmidt University Hamburg, Holstenhofweg 85, 22043 Hamburg, Germany
Interests: development and standardization of psychological psychometric tests and questionnaires; diagnostics and intervention for learning disorders including precursor skills; intelligence and intelligence diagnostics; executive functions and ADHD; school enrollment examination; moral development

Prof. Dr. Ute Koglin

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Guest Editor

Psychology in Special Needs Education, Faculty of Educational and Social Sciences, Institute for Special and Rehabilitation Education, Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg, Ammerländer-Heerstr. 114-118, 26129 Oldenburg, Germany
Interests: promotion of social–emotional competencies of children from kindergarten to adolescence; prevention of behavioral problems; development of emotional competencies (e.g., emotion regulation); callous–unemotional traits in childhood in relation to social–emotional development and aggressive behavior; developmental observation and documentation in child day care facilities

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We would like to invite you to contribute to this Special Issue on intelligence and specific developmental disorders in children. The aim is to collect articles that focus on the following areas: (1) intelligence, (2) executive functions (including self-regulation of action and of affect/emotion), and (3) specific developmental disorders in child development.

This Issue may include studies that focus on one of these areas or focus on links between the mentioned developmental domains. These may be clinical studies or studies that address the causes and consequences of specific developmental disorders, for example:

IQ profiles (and executive functions) of children with learning disorders (or other developmental disorders);
Executive functions and speech and language development;
Self-regulation/executive function as predictor of academic achievement.

Our goal for this issue is to collect recent empirical studies to provide an up-to-date overview and an extension of the state of research. The abovementioned developmental domains play an important role in children’s healthy mental development and success at school. We therefore welcome studies that identify new approaches to the diagnosis, prevention, or intervention for children with specific developmental disorders. However, we also welcome contributions to research on the relationship of intelligence, executive functions, and specific developmental disorders. This topic could also highlight the relationship between cognitive and social–emotional problems in these disorders.

Prof. Dr. Monika Daseking
Prof. Dr. Ute Koglin
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Children is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

intelligence
specific learning disorders
executive functions
WISC-V
specific developmental disorders
speech and language development
self-regulation
social–emotional behavior

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Published Papers (9 papers)

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15 pages, 652 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Reactive and Proactive Aggression among Children and Adolescents: A Latent Profile Analysis and Latent Transition Analysis

by Annette Lohbeck

Children 2022, 9(11), 1733; https://doi.org/10.3390/children9111733 - 11 Nov 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2178

Abstract

The present study aimed to explore children’s and adolescents’ profiles of reactive and proactive aggression and the stability of those profiles over a six-month period using latent profile analysis (LPA) and latent transition analysis (LTA). Data were collected at two measurement points from a sample of N = 1468 children and adolescents aged from 9 to 18 years. Results of LPA revealed three distinct profiles, labeled as “Severe Reactively and Proactively Aggressive (S-RA-PA)”, “Highly Reactively and Proactively Aggressive” (H-RA-PA), and “Moderately Low Reactively and Proactively Aggressive” (M-RA-PA). All profiles appeared to be relatively stable over six months, supporting their within-sample consistency. The most stable and largest profile was the “M-RA-PA” profile, while the least stable and smallest profile was the “S-RA-PA” profile. However, there was also some within-person variability in children’s and adolescents’ profile membership because almost 40–50% of the participants of the “S-RA-PA” and “H-RA-PA” profiles transitioned to another profile across six months. In contrast, more than 90% of the participants of the “M-RA-PA” profile remained in their profile. These results provide a dynamic picture of children’s and adolescents’ development of reactive and proactive aggression and bear several implications from a short longitudinal person-oriented perspective. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Research of Intelligence and Specific Developmental Disorders in Children)

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17 pages, 359 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Structural Equation Modeling of Common Cognitive Abilities in Preschool-Aged Children Using WPPSI-IV and BRIEF-P

by Sören Fiedler, Nina Krüger and Monika Daseking

Children 2022, 9(7), 1089; https://doi.org/10.3390/children9071089 - 21 Jul 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2249

Abstract

Various studies have addressed the relationship between intelligence and executive functions (EF). There is widespread agreement that EF in preschool children is a unitary construct in which the subordinate factors of Updating, Inhibition, and Shifting are still undifferentiated and correlate moderately with a general factor of intelligence (g). The aim of this study is to investigate the common structural relationship between these two constructs using confirmatory factor analysis. Furthermore, we intend to close the gap of more daily life-associated executive functions and replicate findings in preschool-aged children. Data from a sample of N = 124 average developed children without severe impairments (aged 4 years 0 months–6 years 11 months) were analyzed using the data pool of the standardization and validation studies on the German Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence—Fourth Edition. Additionally, Executive functions were assessed using a standardized parent-completed questionnaire (BRIEF-P) on their children’s everyday behavior. A second-order factor solution revealed that a model with a loading of the common factor of general intelligence (g-factor) onto the EF factor fits the data best. To specify possible method effects due to different sources of measurements, a latent method factor was generated. The results indicate a heterogeneous method effect and a decreasing factor loading from g on to EF while controlling for the method factor. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Research of Intelligence and Specific Developmental Disorders in Children)

11 pages, 641 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Personal and Social Resources Are Linked to Cognition and Health-Related Quality of Life in Childhood Cancer Survivors

by Valerie Siegwart, Kirstin Schürch, Valentin Benzing, Jochen Roessler and Regula Everts

Children 2022, 9(7), 936; https://doi.org/10.3390/children9070936 - 22 Jun 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2103

Abstract

Personal and social resources may buffer the adverse effects of childhood cancer and its impact on cognition and quality of life. While childhood cancer survivors show domain-specific cognitive difficulties, little is known about their personal and social resources. We therefore investigated personal and social resources and their association with cognitive and quality-of-life outcomes in childhood cancer survivors. Seventy-eight survivors of childhood cancer of different etiologies (aged 7–16 years; ≥one year since treatment) and fifty-six healthy controls were included. Cognitive outcome was assessed by neuropsychological tests; personal and social resources, as well as health-related quality of life, were assessed by standardized questionnaires. In the social resource domain, peer integration was worse in survivors than in controls (p_uncorr < 0.04, d = 0.33). Personal resources and all other subscales of social resources did not significantly differ between survivors and controls. In survivors, the global resource score was significantly correlated with processing speed (r = 0.39, p_corr < 0.001) and quality of life (parent: r = 0.44; self-report: r = 0.46; p_scorr < 0.001). In controls, no association occurred between resources and cognitive outcome, and the correlation between the global resource score and quality of life did not withstand correction for multiple comparison (parent: r = 0.28; self-report: r = 0.40, p_suncorr < 0.001). After an adverse event such as childhood cancer, resources might play a particularly buffering role on cognitive performance and quality of life (when compared to the everyday life of healthy controls). This highlights the importance of interventions that strengthen the resources of children and their families, even years after cancer. Such resource-focused intervention could help to counteract long-term sequelae in cognitive outcomes and health-related quality of life. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Research of Intelligence and Specific Developmental Disorders in Children)

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18 pages, 556 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Investigating the Relation of Intelligence and Executive Functions in Children and Adolescents with and without Intellectual Disabilities

by Mieke Johannsen and Nina Krüger

Children 2022, 9(6), 818; https://doi.org/10.3390/children9060818 - 1 Jun 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 3326

Abstract

Despite their separate research traditions, intelligence and executive functioning (EF) are both theoretically and empirically closely related to each other. Based on a subsample of 8- to 20-year-olds of the standardization and validation sample (N = 1540) of an internationally available instrument assessing both cognitive abilities, this study aimed at investigating a comprehensive structural model of intelligence and EF tasks and at gaining insight into whether this comprehensive model is applicable across sexes and age groups as well as to a subsample of participants with (borderline) intellectual disabilities (IQ ≤ 85, n = 255). The results of our exploratory factor analysis indicated one common EF factor that could be sufficiently integrated into the intelligence model within our confirmatory factor analyses. The results suggest that the EF factor can be added into the model as a sixth broad ability. The comprehensive model largely showed measurement invariance across sexes and age groups but did not converge within the subsample of participants with (borderline) intellectual disabilities. The results and implications are discussed in light of the current literature. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Research of Intelligence and Specific Developmental Disorders in Children)

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16 pages, 516 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Role of Cognitive Skills, Sex, and Parental Education for Social–Emotional Skills: A Cross-Sectional Study on the WPPSI-IV Performances of Children Aged 3 to 5 Years

by Franziska Walter, Monika Daseking and Franz Pauls

Children 2022, 9(5), 730; https://doi.org/10.3390/children9050730 - 17 May 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2729

Abstract

Background: Current research suggests that knowledge about the relationship between cognition and social–emotional skills in preschoolers is important to better understand child development. The present study investigated possible effects of cognitive skills measured by the Wechsler Primary and Preschool Scale—Fourth Edition (WPPSI-IV), children’s sex, and parental educational level on social–-emotional skills measured by the Developmental Test 6 Months to 6 Years—Revision (ET 6-6 R) for children aged 3 to 5. Methods: Statistical analyses were based on a sample of N = 93 children (47 females, 46 males). First, bivariate correlations among relevant WPPSI-IV index scores, the ET social–emotional quotient, children’s sex, and parental educational level were calculated to identify possible significant associations between the variables under investigation. Subsequently, two multiple regression analyses were conducted to test for the hypothesized main effects of cognitive skills, children’s sex, and parental educational level on social–emotional skills. Finally, a moderated multiple regression analysis was carried out to investigate whether possible effects of cognitive skills on social–emotional skills were moderated by children’s sex and parental educational level. Results: Regression analyses indicated that visual–spatial skills measured by the WPPSI-IV and children’s sex have both a small but significant main effect on social–emotional skills. The main effect of sex was due to the fact that, on average, females achieved higher scores on the measure of social–emotional skills than males. Conclusions: The present findings suggest that the WPPSI-IV represents a suitable test battery for the assessment of those cognitive skills, which might play a reasonable role in social–emotional development Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Research of Intelligence and Specific Developmental Disorders in Children)

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23 pages, 1363 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Factor Structure of the KABC-II at Ages 5 and 6: Is It Valid in a Clinical Sample?

by Gerolf Renner, Dieter Irblich and Anne Schroeder

Children 2022, 9(5), 645; https://doi.org/10.3390/children9050645 - 30 Apr 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2581

Abstract

The factor structure of the German edition of the KABC-II for ages 5 and 6 was examined in a clinical sample. Participants were 450 children ages 5 and 6 who had been assessed due to various behavioral, emotional, or developmental disorders in five Centers for Social Pediatrics (SPCs). Confirmatory factor analyses of the standard test structure including core subtests of the Cattell-Horn-Carroll model and of the Luria model were conducted using maximum likelihood estimation. Several modified structures derived from CHC ability classifications were evaluated. Second-order factor structures corresponding to the standard test structure of the KABC-II demonstrated an adequate global fit for both theoretical models and were superior to unidimensional models. The fit of bifactor models was comparable to second-order models. In all subtests, the general factor accounted for more variance than group factors (broad abilities). However, in more than half of the subtests, unique variance explained the largest portion of the variance. The scale Learning/Glr showed a lack of convergent validity. At age 6, a model omitting subtest Rover significantly improved the fit. In the combined sample of 5- and 6-year-old children, both second-order and bifactor models with nine subtests demonstrated excellent fit. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Research of Intelligence and Specific Developmental Disorders in Children)

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15 pages, 652 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Cognitive Profiles of Children with Low Motor Performance: A Contribution to the Validation of the WPPSI-IV

by Julia Jascenoka and Franziska Walter

Children 2022, 9(5), 619; https://doi.org/10.3390/children9050619 - 26 Apr 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3514

Abstract

(1) Background: Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) is a common developmental disorder of preschool age. Children often show cognitive deficits in addition to motor problems. Various studies point in particular to problems in visual perception, working memory and processing speed. In this context, it is investigated whether the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale-IV (WPPSI-IV) is a suitable instrument for mapping these deficits in a valid and economical way. (2) Methods: The WPPSI-IV profiles of children with DCD (n = 12), below-average motor performance (n = 22) and a control group (n = 32) were compared. (3) Results: Children with DCD achieved significantly poorer test performance in the primary indices Verbal Comprehension, Visual Spatial, Processing Speed and Full Scale compared to a control group. Children with below-average motor skills, on the other hand, do not differ from the children in the control group. (4) Conclusions: The WPPSI-IV is a suitable instrument for diagnosing cognitive deficits in the context of DCD. The Fluid Reasoning and Verbal Comprehension indices should be used as a supplement to assess cognitive performance levels. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Research of Intelligence and Specific Developmental Disorders in Children)

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17 pages, 1076 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Evaluation of an Online Version of the CFT 20-R in Third and Fourth Grade Children

by Linda Visser, Josefine Rothe, Gerd Schulte-Körne and Marcus Hasselhorn

Children 2022, 9(4), 512; https://doi.org/10.3390/children9040512 - 4 Apr 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 4241

Abstract

There is growing demand for digital intelligence testing. In the current study, we evaluated the validity of an online version of the revised German Culture Fair Intelligence Test (CFT 20-R). A total of 4100 children from the third and fourth grades completed the online version using a smartphone or tablet. Subsequently, 220 of these children also completed the paper-pencil (PP) version. The internal consistency and construct validity of the online version appeared to be acceptable. The correlation between the raw scores and school grades in German and mathematics was slightly lower than expected. On average, the raw scores for the PP version were revealed to be higher, which was probably due to a learning effect. At the item level, the results show small differences for the subtests Series and Matrices, possibly caused by small differences in the presentation of the items. The correspondence between the versions did not depend on children’s levels of impulsivity or intelligence. Altogether, the results support the hypothesis that the online version of the CFT 20-R is a valid measure of general fluid intelligence and highlight the need for separate norms. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Research of Intelligence and Specific Developmental Disorders in Children)

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16 pages, 4188 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Associations of Motor Performance and Executive Functions: Comparing Children with Down Syndrome to Chronological and Mental Age-Matched Controls

by Thomas Jürgen Klotzbier, Benjamin Holfelder and Nadja Schott

Children 2022, 9(1), 73; https://doi.org/10.3390/children9010073 - 5 Jan 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2756

Abstract

Background. Children with Down syndrome (DS) exhibit lower motor and cognitive performance than typically developing children (TD). Although there is a relationship between these two developmental domains, only a few studies have addressed this association in children with DS compared to groups of the same chronological age (CA) or mental age (MA) within one study. This study aimed to fill this research gap. Method and Procedures. The Movement Assessment Battery for Children-2 and the Trail-Making Test was used to assess motor and cognitive performances in 12 children (M = 10.5 ± 10.08) with DS, 12 CA-matched, and 12 MA-matched controls. Results. There are significant group differences in the motor dimension (total test score; p < 0.001, η²_p = 0.734), for processing speed (p < 0.001, η²_p = 0.396), and cognitive flexibility (p < 0.001, η²_p = 0.498). Between TD-CA and both other groups, the differences in the magnitude of correlations for the motor dimension balance are also significant (compared to DS: z = −2.489; p = 0.006, and to TD-MA: z = −3.12; p < 0.001). Conclusions. Our results suggest that the relationships depend on the studied cognitive and motor skills. It seems crucial to select a wide range of tasks for both domains that are as isolated as possible for future studies, to better understand the relationships between cognitive and motor skills in children with DS. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Research of Intelligence and Specific Developmental Disorders in Children)

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