[W1] - L1 Flashcards
Define School Neuropsychology
SNP is a clinical discipline in educational settings. It is a sub discipline of school psychology
› Integrates neuropsychological and educational principles
into the ASSESSMENT of, and development of INTERVENTIONS for children.
› It aims to provide an optimal learning environment for every
child, including children with SPECIAL NEEDS, and
facilitate learning and behavior within the school and
family systems.
› It is embedded in the transdisciplinary science of MIND,
BRAIN & EDUCATION
The 8 primary tasks of a SNP
- Provide neuropsychological assessment and
interpretation services to schools for children with
known or suspected neurological conditions. - Assist in the interpretation of neuropsychological
findings from outside consultants or medical records. - Seek to integrate current brain research into
educational practice. - Provide educational interventions that have a basis in
the neuropsychological or educational literature. - Act as a liaison between the school and the medical
community for transitional planning for TBI and other
health impaired children and adolescents. - Consult with curriculum specialists in designing
approaches to instruction that more adequately
reflects what is known about brain-behavior
relationships. - Conduct in-service training for educators and parents
about the neuropsychological factors that relate to
common childhood disorders. - Engage in evidenced-based research to test for the
efficacy of neuropsychologically-based interventions
SNP as an emerging discipline
It is STILL an emerging discipline – about 60 years old.
1960 - first test battery for children produced.
1980 - explosive interest in biological explanations of learning and behaviour: shift away from the nature/environmental perspective.
1990 – decade of the brain/info gathering. 2000 – more assessment methods/inclusive education was legally formalized.
2023 – it’s an emerging specialty area with tests still oncoming - and still some disinformation (neuromyths) circulating
The dominant approach to education in the 19th century vs. the dominant approach in the present day
In the 19th century, the behaviourist approach was dominant (if children listened they would learn, one size fits all, punishment utilised etc.,).
In the modern day, we have a constructivist approach (understand that learning is facilitated by cognitive abilities, recognize the importance of the developmental stages, emphasis on reward, social safety, inclusivity.)
Modern teachers often struggle to navigate learning differences in an inclusive classroom environment – which is where a school psychologist comes in.
How common are special needs, and which learning difficulties are most often reported?
[Approx. 1 in 4 children have special needs]
- Externalising problem behaviour
- Internalising problem behaviour
- Problematic attitudes to work
- Physical disabilities
- Speech, language, and numeracy
disorders - Being gifted
- Intellectual impairment
- Autism Spectrum Disorder
- Being behind in literacy/reading
and/or numeracy
[Note that there are 2.6 problems per child on average – suggesting multiple categories/difficulties often apply]
Internalizing vs. Externalizing Behavior problems
Internalising problem behavior – turned inwards, bothers the child (anxiety/depression, withdrawn, somatic complaints; more common in girls)
Externalising problem behavior – turned outwards, bothers others, aggressive behaviours or rule violating (more common for boys)
Executive Functions and SNP research
Executive functions (EF) are a constellation of higher order cognitive process - which enable reasoning, problem solving, planning and cognitive organization.
Most well-researched executive functions are:
Working memory
(response) Inhibition
(cognitive) Flexibility
Planning / problem solving
List some of the childhood disorders that feature EF deficits - as well as some of the aspects of life that can be affected by these deficits.
Childhood disorders:
› ADHD
› Autistic Spectrum Disorder
› Tourette Syndrome
› Learning disabilities:
dyslexia, dyscalculia
› Metabolic disorders:
Phenylketonuria (PKU)
› Traumatic Brain Injury TBI
› Fetal Alcohol Syndrome /
Cocaine exposure
› Type 1 Diabetes (etc.,)
Aspects of Life:
› School readiness
› School success
› Academic achievement
› Mental health
› Physical health
› Quality of life
› Job success
› Marital harmony
› Public safety
Executive Functions throughout development
EFs are related to the maturation of the frontal cortex/lobe – which matures throughout childhood.
Cognitive difficulties are common in children. The first question to ask oneself is whether the behaviours being exhibited are appropriate for their age/the stage of development they should be at?
The differential development of EF constructs
Inhibition [the ability to suppress an automatic response]: this is the first EF to develop, completing maturation around the age of 8. At this stage, their school competencies typically expand rapidly also.
Working Memory and task shifting develop from 3 up to around age 15.
Planning begins developing around age 3 as well, but continues development into adulthood.
The tools of an SNP
› Test batteries: : combinations of various tests that test for specific functions; can be used to develop educational interventions together with a teacher/educational specialist
› Educational interventions
› Neuropsychological
interventions
› Training of parents/teachers: An SNP would know about neuropsychological interventions in particular and could offer training to parents/teachers.
An introduction to the integrated CHC/SNP model [CHC = Cattell-Horn-Carroll; SNP = School NeuroPsychology]
The model uses CHC theory as a basis (“periodic system of human
cognitive abilities”) - with four major classifications of CHC functions:
Acquired knowledge
Basic cognitive processes
Basic sensorimotor functions
Facilitators and inhibitors
The focus is on the cognitive abilities that are most relevant to the school setting (visuospatial, auditory, learning and memory, executive); determining how the relevant domains contribute to acquired knowledge (acculturation knowledge, language abilities, reading achievement, written language, mathematics).
Facilitators/inhibitors (working memory, allocating and maintaining attention, speed and efficiency of cognitive processing) - when they’re strong they can facilitate cognitive processes, when they’re weak they can inhibit them.
The border of the model represents the social-emotional, cultural and environmental factors – but the cognitive aspects are more acutely emphasized.
The Car Analogy of the Integrated CHC/SNP model
Sensorimotor functions = wheels and window.
Facilitators/inhibitors = fuel/oil – needed to run, and to run smoothly.
Acquired knowledge = the destination of the drive.
How might memory and attention problems underly behavior problems?
Memory and attention problems could manifest as: difficulty paying attention for a long period, losing one’s place, inattentive to details/careless mistakes, frequently asking for repetitions
These difficulties represent interactions between attention, memory and learning, and executive functions (which are interrelated difficulties/domains)
The three primary components of attention
Selective/focused Attention:
- posterior attention system
- attending to one thing and blocking out distractions
Sustained Attention:
- subcortical/frontal system
- duration of attention/intensity of processing
- short in children (rule of thumb – age to minutes).
Shifting Attention:
- frontal system
- engaging and then disengaging with something, switching between tasks
[ADHD = difficulties with sustained and shifting]
[N-back task = short-term memory – attentional capacity test]
Can we call working memory THE working memory?
No - it is composed of two distinct systems (visuospatial working memory and verbal working memory)
Atkinson and Shiffrin memory model
Short-term memory is one important pathway towards the formation of long-term memories.
Selective attention/posterior attention systems help information to enter your short-term memory; but it will be forgotten without being encoded/worked upon with working memory.
To utilise a piece of information you retrieve it from your long-term memory and bring it to working memory. Without retrieval, long-term memories are forgotten. (or are interfered with/decay)
The stages of learning and memory
Cyclical Stages:
- Encoding
- Consolidation
- Retrieval
Declarative vs. Nondeclarative memory
Declarative memory = memory about explicit facts, your knowledge of the world (episodic/semantic (i.e., meaning) memory). It is relevant to most of what is learned in a school setting.
Nondeclarative memory = procedural memory/implicit knowledge you can’t put to words (cycling walking etc.), priming (unconscious priming), classical conditioning, habituation.
The relevance of repetition tasks for children with attentional difficulties
Those with attention problems have issues with encoding – and therefore stand to gain a lot from repetition tasks (i.e., improvement is achieved).
To support a child with ADHD in the classroom you could try – repeating instructions, listing tasks in a convenient location, providing ONLY relevant info, breaking down larger tasks, teaching the student to ask for instructions when confused, teaching strategies for the tasks themselves (can be done by connecting the child with a similarly gifted peer and allowing them to problem solve together)
The working memory Trinity
- Executive functions
- Attention
- Memory
Initiating an SNP assessment
First consider – what cognitive differences are causing a given behavior? To answer that – conduct a neuropsychological assessment. Most tests will call on multiple of the trinity, but you want a test that at least primarily measures the area you are interested in (in clinical practice)
Generally, practical intelligence is tested first, and then followed with tests for more specific cognitive functions – can be used for long-term follow-ups and to assess the impacts of brain damage. Its output should also be used for intervention planning (i.e., identifying cognitive strengths and weaknesses)
The relationship between Executive Functions and Academic Achievement
Strong correlations have been observed between EF performance and academic achievement (similar to those observed between general intelligence and academic achievement) – but they may be even MORE important than general intelligence as intelligence tests and academic tasks have overlapping elements (i.e. maths, vocab etc.) – which may inflate the correlational value somewhat.
EF correlation with academic achievement holds across age.
This is an intuitive finding as learning requires functioning attention and memory systems (we remember what we attend to and retrieve in our working memory). While selectivity does not mature until adulthood, memory capacity only improves up till young adulthood.
Summarizing Lecture 1
Learning requires highly functioning attention and
memory systems.
We remember what we pay attention to and rehearse in
working memory, and we forget what we don’t retrieve
soon enough (declarative memory).
Attention, memory and EFs overlap - with a central role of
working memory.
Children need external guidance, motivation and
emotion for paying attention to the right things (as their selectivity has yet to mature)
