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Advances in Neurodevelopmental Disorders and Neurodevelopmental Disabilities across Lifespan: A Focus on Childhood and Adolescence

A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Behavioral and Mental Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2024) | Viewed by 20111

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Donatella Petretto

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Education, Philosophy, Psychology, University of Cagliari, 09124 Cagliari, Italy
Interests: disability; ageing; neuropsychology; learning disorders; intellectual disabilities
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Loredana Lucarelli

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Education, Philosophy, Psychology, University of Cagliari, 09124 Cagliari, Italy
Interests: infant research and observation techniques of mother-child interaction; infant research and development of emotional regulation; parenting at "depressive and psychosocial risk"; eating and sleep disorders in childhood; maternal depression and developmental risk in the affective development of children; maternal psychopathology and childhood attachment patterns; adolescence and psychopathological risk; depression in developmental age; chronic pathology of the parent (multiple sclerosis) and the risk of affective disharmony in children; mental retardation and affective development
Dr. Roberta Fadda

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Pedagogy, Psychology, Philosophy, University of Cagliari, 09124 Cagliari, Italy
Interests: socio-communicative development in typically developing children and in individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders; psychological processing involved in decision making (moral judgment, empathy, theory of mind); the development of biological concepts in children; bilingualism in minority languages; school integration in atypical development

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In recent decades, interest in the study of Neurodevelopmental Disorders and Neurodevelopmental Disabilities has increased. The complexity of the phenomenon considered across the life span has been conceptualized according to clinical and dynamic models, which are multidimensional and very comprehensive.

Regarding Neurodevelopmental Disorders, newer conceptual models are based on interactions between genetic, biological, psychological and relational domains at individual, familiar, social and cultural levels in various contexts, such as home, school, leisure activities, etc. Meanwhile, for Neurodevelopmental Disabilities, newer conceptual models of disability are based on the interactions between individual features—pathologies, impairments, and functional limitations—and the environment (relational and/or physical). These models focus on the role of vulnerability/risk and protective factors to delineate developmental pathways of risk and resilience. Thus, according to the lifespan approach and the perspective of Developmental Psychopathology, the newer causal and transactional models aim to define the developmental trajectories between various developmental phases and forms of continuity and/or discontinuity of disorders and of traits, behaviors, emotional and affective regulation development. The interweaving of typical and atypical developmental trajectories and functioning is also investigated.   

Despite the substantial progress that has been made in the diagnosis and assessment methodologies of Neurodevelopmental Disorders and Neurodevelopmental Disabilities, some relevant questions have yet to be addressed. What interventions and support strategies are effective for specific sub-phenotypes and which interventions might lead to long-term positive outcomes are still subject to debate. It is also important to continue investigating the active processes for change at biological, neurobiological, psychological, and environmental levels. 

In this Special Issue, we invite scholars to discuss these topics and to share their experiences in these fields, with a multidisciplinary/transdisciplinary approach. We welcome research, scoping reviews, systematic reviews and/or meta-analyses of these newer approaches in the study of Neurodevelopmental Disorders and Neurodevelopmental Disabilities.

We are especially interested in proposals from diverse contexts, particularly longitudinal studies with at-risk and clinical groups, in order to achieve an articulated picture of the advances in Neurodevelopmental Disorders and Neurodevelopmental Disabilities across the life span, with a special focus on childhood and adolescence.

Dr. Donatella Petretto
Prof. Dr. Loredana Lucarelli
Dr. Roberta Fadda
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. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 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 2500 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

  • neurodevelopmental disorders and disabilities
  • diagnosis
  • functioning
  • causal and transactional models
  • developmental trajectories
  • parenthood in childhood and adolescence
  • parental stress
  • mothers’ and fathers’ mental health
  • parental psychopathological characteristics
  • social network/school

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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15 pages, 660 KiB  
Article
Correlation Analysis of Attention and Intelligence of Preterm Infants at Preschool Age: A Premature Cohort Study
by Wei-Chih Chin, Wei-Chi Wu, Jen-Fu Hsu, I. Tang, Tsung-Chieh Yao and Yu-Shu Huang
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(4), 3357; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20043357 - 14 Feb 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1918
Abstract
Objective: Developmental delay in neurocognitive function has been reported in premature children. This cohort study prospectively followed preterm infants following birth, and herein we present the four-year longitudinal follow-up data of cognitive development at preschool age and analyze correlated factors. Methods: Term and [...] Read more.
Objective: Developmental delay in neurocognitive function has been reported in premature children. This cohort study prospectively followed preterm infants following birth, and herein we present the four-year longitudinal follow-up data of cognitive development at preschool age and analyze correlated factors. Methods: Term and preterm children received regular clinical evaluations and development assessments after birth, and at age 4 ± 1 years, they received the Wechsler-preschool and primary scale of intelligence, Fourth Edition (WPPSI-IV), excluding those with full-scale intelligence quotient < 70. A total of 150 participants received Conners Kiddie Continuous Performance Test (K-CPT), while 129 participants received ophthalmic evaluation. We adopted Chi-square test, ANOVA, and post hoc analysis to compare group differences. Correlations with K-CPT and WPPSI-IV were analyzed using Pearson’s correlation. Results: Group 1 consisted of 25 full-term children, group 2 had 94 preterm children with birth-weight of ≥ 1500 g, and group 3 had 159 preterm children with birth-weight of < 1500 g. Group 1 was the healthiest group and had the best performance in attention and intelligence, while group 3 had the worst physical condition and cognitive performance. The correlation analysis revealed that perinatal factors, including gestational age, birth weight, Apgar scores, and physical conditions, significantly correlated with WPPSI-IV and K-CPT variables. Gender significantly correlated with object assembly of WPSSI-IV and clinical index of K-CPT. Among vision-related variables, best corrected visual acuity correlated most with K-CPT, including clinical index, Omission, and hit reaction time standard error of K-CPT, as well as significantly correlated with information and bug search of WPPSI-IV. Conclusions: Preterm children at preschool age still had poorer cognitive performance than full-term children, especially those with birth BW less than 1500 g. Gender and vision are correlated with cognitive deficits. Continuous monitoring with comprehensive assessments is recommended. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Neurodevelopmental Disorders and Neurodevelopmental Disabilities across Lifespan: A Focus on Childhood and Adolescence)
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Review

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18 pages, 674 KiB  
Review
A Scoping Review of the Serious Game-Based Rehabilitation of People with Cerebral Palsy
by Si Nae Ahn
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(21), 7006; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20217006 - 1 Nov 2023
Viewed by 2527
Abstract
In a serious context, individuals with Cerebral Palsy (CP) have limited opportunities to engage in social interaction experiences. Through a review, this study provides an explanation and improved evidence of the methods for rehabilitation in games used in serious contexts for people with [...] Read more.
In a serious context, individuals with Cerebral Palsy (CP) have limited opportunities to engage in social interaction experiences. Through a review, this study provides an explanation and improved evidence of the methods for rehabilitation in games used in serious contexts for people with CP. Articles published from 2010 to 2022 focusing on serious game-based rehabilitation for people with CP are extracted from MEDILINE, Academic Search Ultimate, CINAHL, and the Web of Science. The articles were assessed based on the McMaster critical review form. This study analyzes the frequencies of goal and assessment tools according to the components using the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF). The evidence of all the studies is presented according to the principles of Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome (PICO) to organize the evidence. A total of 19 articles were selected. Five articles involved Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs), six articles involved non-randomized one-group designs, three articles involved single experimental study designs, and five articles were case report designs. In the selected articles, the average score on the McMaster critical review form was 11.8 points. In the game-based rehabilitation for CP, more articles reported goals and assessment tools focusing on body function than goals and assessment tools focusing on activity and participation, according to the ICF. These findings provide a record of past work and identify the evidence to support the application of game-based rehabilitation for people with CP. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Neurodevelopmental Disorders and Neurodevelopmental Disabilities across Lifespan: A Focus on Childhood and Adolescence)
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33 pages, 510 KiB  
Review
Food Selectivity in Children with Autism: Guidelines for Assessment and Clinical Interventions
by Marco Esposito, Paolo Mirizzi, Roberta Fadda, Chiara Pirollo, Orlando Ricciardi, Monica Mazza and Marco Valenti
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(6), 5092; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20065092 - 14 Mar 2023
Cited by 34 | Viewed by 14472
Abstract
Autisms Spectrum Disorders (ASD) are characterized by core symptoms (social communication and restricted and repetitive behaviors) and related comorbidities, including sensory anomalies, feeding issues, and challenging behaviors. Children with ASD experience significantly more feeding problems than their peers. In fact, parents and clinicians [...] Read more.
Autisms Spectrum Disorders (ASD) are characterized by core symptoms (social communication and restricted and repetitive behaviors) and related comorbidities, including sensory anomalies, feeding issues, and challenging behaviors. Children with ASD experience significantly more feeding problems than their peers. In fact, parents and clinicians have to manage daily the burden of various dysfunctional behaviors of children at mealtimes (food refusal, limited variety of food, single food intake, or liquid diet). These dysfunctional behaviors at mealtime depend on different factors that are either medical/sensorial or behavioral. Consequently, a correct assessment is necessary in order to program an effective clinical intervention. The aim of this study is to provide clinicians with a guideline regarding food selectivity concerning possible explanations of the phenomenon, along with a direct/indirect assessment gathering detailed and useful information about target feeding behaviors. Finally, a description of evidence-based sensorial and behavioral strategies useful also for parent-mediated intervention is reported addressing food selectivity in children with ASD. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Neurodevelopmental Disorders and Neurodevelopmental Disabilities across Lifespan: A Focus on Childhood and Adolescence)
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