Week 2 Flashcards
3 types of neuromyths
Nonsense: All experts agree
Lack of facts: Experts on this topic agree
Controversy: Experts on this topic are debating
Reasons for neuromyths
Bandwagonitis
Taking over ideas of friends and colleagues because they said so
What acute exercise does to your brain
› Increase in cerebral blood flow
› Increase in availability of neurotransmitters:
dopamine and noradrenaline
› Increase in Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor
(BDNF) availability
Promotion of neurogenesis
Promotion of growth of nerve cells in the brain
› Greater activity in brain areas related to executive functions and attention regulation
Wide range achievement test (WRAT)
Test for academic performance
Acute effects on cognition: results
Increased brain activity on incompatible trials
Improved accuracy on flanker task
Improved reading comprehension performance (WRAT)
But NOT on math performance
-Its better to train executive functions to improve them
Exercise supports but does not improve executive functions
How to be a critical consumer of MBE research
Brain explanations are very appealing
› Brain findings do not apply to other levels: cognition, academic performance, behavior
› Lab findings do not apply to real environments
› Do not overgeneralize: acute effects, in children
› Only one study -> accumulating evidence is necessary
The SANE effect
The seductive allure of neuroscience explanations
- Circular explanations are judged more credible when combined with brain info
Chronic physical exercise has beneficial effects for:
-Symptoms of ADHD as rated by parents and teacher
-Executive functioning
-Increased frontal brain activity
-Motor functioning
Social and emotional functioning
-Behaviour problems
Antecedent based intervention
Prevention of externalizing behaviours
-Extra recess time
-Multiple desks
-Motor breaks
-Stability balls
Consequent based interventions
Strategies for after the behaviour takes place
-Running errands
-Toys for fidgeting
-Exercise/dancing breaks as group reinforcer
Neuropsychological tests prior to 1990
Halstead-Reitan
Luria-Nebraska batteries
Differences between NEPSY and NEPSY II
Extended test to 16yrs 11 months
Includes new subtests and removed domain scores
NEPSY
-Developmental
-First neuropsychological assessment battery specifically for children age 3-12
-Lurian and process oriented approach
-results interpreted in both qualitative and quantitative matter
Purposes of NEPSY-II
-Assess brain damage even if cause is not known
-Use as a LT follow up
-Identify patterns of deficiencies that are consist with research on neurodevelopmental disorder
-To identify strengths and weaknesses that can be directly linked to prescriptive interventions
NEPSY-II assesses 6 functional domains:
(SMALVS)
Sensorimotor
Memory and learning
Attention/ executive functioning
Language
Visuospatial
Social perception
Four types of assessment batteries in NEPSY-II
Full assessment
Selective assessment
Diagnostic referral battery
General referral battery
Full assessment in NEPSY
-Purpose: To see students neurocognitive strengths and weaknesses in order to use evidence based interventions
-All subtests that are age-appropriate across all 6 domains
-For children with:
Severe brain damage or dysfunction
Neurodevelopmental risk factors (eg. prenatal exposure to alcohol)
Severe learning or behavioural problem
Sever medical treatments that may affect the CNS
General referral battery for NEPSY-II
Subset of all the NEPSY-II tests
5of 6 domains- Not social perception
Recommended as starting point for school based referrals- When referral Q is unclear or multiple problems
Diagnostic referral battery of NEPSY-II
8 diagnostic referral batteries to assess specific problems (SBALLLPS)
-Social perception
-Behaviour management
-Attention/ concentration
-Learning differences: Reading
-Learning differences: Math
-Language delays/disorders
-Perceptualmotor delays/disorders
-School readiness
Subtests selected based on:
-Largest effect sizes
-Deficits associated based on literature
Selective assessment batteries
-Selected subtests can be used as part of cross battery assessment, since they are not subject to order affects
-Subtests can be selected due to relevance to referral question
Scores generated by NEPSY-II
Scaled scores:
-Normalized and corrected by age
-Mean= 10
-SD=3
Percentile rank ranges:
-Normalized and corrected by age
-Expressed in a percentile score
Less than or equal to 2= Well below expected level
3-10= below expected
11-25= slightly below expected
26-75= at expected level
above 75= above expected level
Cumulative percentages (Base rates):
-Cumulative percentages of the standardization sample
-Descriptive base rates not actual % marks (eg. 26% of same age children obtained same score)
Combined scores:
-2 standardised scores integrated into one from the same subtest
-Only be used when there isn’t a significant difference between the 2 scores
Contrast scores:
-difference between 2 scores
-Creates a norm based value
-Shows statistical difference between 2 scores
Process scores: Evaluate subtle differences in performance
Qualitative behavioural observations:
-Number of occurrences or the absence of qualitative behaviours
-Base rates can be determined with comparisons made to same age group within the standardization sample
WISC-V Integrated
-6-16.11yrs
-Qualitative info
-Extension of the WISC-V, NOT A STAND ALONE BATTERY
-Tests the limits for low WISC-V scores (greater than 1 SD below average)
-14 subtests
Subtests of WISC-V Integrated
8 adapted:
-Similarities multiple choice
-block design multiple choice
-picture vocab multiple choice
-vocab multiple choice
-cancellation abstract-written arithmetic
-figure weights process approach
-arithmetic process approach
