OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the clinical usefulness of the Korean Developmental Screening Test (K-DST) via comparison with Korean Ages and Stages Questionnaire (K-ASQ) for the diagnosis of developmental delay in pediatric patients. METHODS: The K-DST and K-ASQ were used to screen pediatric patients who visited the hospital for evaluation and diagnosis of delayed development. Korean Bayley Scales of Infant Development-II (K-BSID-II) or Korean Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence III (K-WPPSI-III) were used for the standardized assessment. Moreover, the final clinical diagnosis was confirmed by three expert physicians (rehabilitation doctor, psychiatrist, and neurologist). The sensitivity and specificity of each screening tool for the final diagnosis were investigated and correlated with standardized assessments. RESULTS: A total of 145 pediatric consultations were conducted, which included 123 developmental disorders (40 autism spectrum disorders, 46 global developmental delay/intellectual disability, and 37 developmental language disorders) and another 22 that were not associated with any such disorders. The sensitivity and specificity of K-DST based on the final clinical diagnosis were 82.9% and 90.9%, respectively, which were not significantly different from that of K-ASQ (83.7% and 77.3%). Both K-DST and K-ASQ showed good correlation with K-BSID-II and K-WPPSI-III. No significant difference was found between the K-DST and K-ASQ measures. CONCLUSION: K-DST is an excellent screening tool and is expected to replace K-ASQ with high validity.
Autism Spectrum Disorder ; Communication Disorders ; Developmental Disabilities ; Diagnosis ; Humans ; Infant ; Intellectual Disability ; Intelligence ; Mass Screening ; Motor Skills Disorders ; Psychiatry ; Referral and Consultation ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Weights and Measures

Infants with Sandhoff disease typically appear normal until 3–6 months of age. As the disease progresses, they present with symptoms such as loss of motor skills, exaggerated startle response to loud noise, seizures, visual loss, and paralysis. We encountered a rare case of a 22-month-old girl with Sandhoff disease characterized by progressive motor weakness and dysphagia, who initially showed signs of aspiration at 20 months of age. The major problems related to dysphagia were oromotor dysfunction and abnormal feeding posture. Within 3 months of identification of difficulty in swallowing, the patient showed a significant decrease in food intake, with rapid deterioration of nutritional status. We report our case with a review of the literature.
Deglutition Disorders ; Deglutition* ; Eating ; Female ; Humans ; Infant ; Motor Skills ; Noise ; Nutritional Status ; Paralysis ; Posture ; Reflex, Startle ; Sandhoff Disease* ; Seizures

OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of pharmacological treatments for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) on motor coordination, using the Developmental Coordination Disorder Questionnaire (DCDQ). METHODS: The participants were recruited from April 2015 to November 2016 from the Department of Psychiatry of Asan Medical Center and were treated for 3 months with methylphenidate or atomoxetine. The illness severity at baseline and 3 months were scored using the ADHD Rating Scale (ARS), Clinical Global Impression-Severity Scale (CGI-S) and/or Clinical Global Impression-Improvement Scale (CGI-I). A total of 39 children with ADHD (age 8.0±1.4 years, 36 boys) completed the Advanced Test of Attention (ATA) and their parents completed the DCDQ at baseline and 3 months. The paired t-test, mixed between-within analysis of variance and correlation analysis were used. RESULTS: The CGI-S (p<0.001), ARS (p<0.001), and fine motor/hand writing (p=0.005) on the DCDQ were significantly changed between pre-treatment and post-treatment. When the participants were divided into those who were suspected of having developmental coordination disorder (DCD) (n=23) and those who probably did not (n=16), the control during movement, fine motor/hand writing and general coordination scores on the DCDQ showed the main effects for group (p<0.001, p<0.001 and p<0.001, respectively). The fine motor/hand writing on the DCDQ has a significant main effect for time [F(1,37)=7.31, p=0.010, η2=0.405] and the interaction effect between group and time was also significant [F(1,37)=4.63, p=0.038, η2=0.111]. The baseline visual commission error on the ATA is significantly correlated with the changes in the DCDQ total scores (r=0.330, p=0.040). CONCLUSION: Our results provide preliminary evidence that pharmacological treatment for ADHD improves not only the core symptoms of ADHD, but also the motor coordination. Further studies are needed to confirm the effect of the pharmacological treatment for ADHD on the motor coordination.
Atomoxetine Hydrochloride ; Child ; Chungcheongnam-do ; Drug Therapy ; Humans ; Methylphenidate ; Motor Skills Disorders ; Parents ; Writing

Motor disorders in childhood include tic disorder, developmental coordination disorder, and stereotypic movement disorder. A tic is a sudden, rapid, repetitive and nonrhythmic movement (motor tics) or phonic production (phonic or vocal tics) that can occur at any part of the body. Developmental coordination disorder (DCD) is characterized by marked impairment in the acquisition and performance of motor skills. Stereotypic movement disorder is a common childhood disorder which repetitive, hard to control, aimless motor activity interrupts everyday life or causes self-infliction of a child. Despite increased attention and the growing scientific knowledge about motor disorders, there are limitations in our understanding and knowledge about the pathogenesis and the management of the disorders. Motor disorders can itself be the primary diagnosis, or can be secondarily diagnosed caused by other disorders, and accompany many neuropsychiatric disorders such as autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), which in turn impairs proper learning and socializing of the children with motor disorders. Therefore comprehensive medical history taking, continuous observation of the changes in symptoms, and systematic assessment considering the child's developmental stage and current adaptive capacity are needed. Behavioral therapy and pharmacological therapy are the two most often mentioned treatments of motor disorders.
Adolescent ; Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity ; Autistic Disorder ; Child ; Diagnosis ; Humans ; Learning ; Medical History Taking ; Motor Activity ; Motor Skills ; Motor Skills Disorders ; Stereotypic Movement Disorder ; Tic Disorders ; Tics* ; Tourette Syndrome*

OBJECTIVEA population-based study on developmental coordination disorder (DCD) was conducted in Suzhou to explore the impacts of family and kindergarten environment on pre school children with DCD so as to provide a basis for etiological research and early intervention.

METHODStratified clustered sampling was used to select 160 classes from randomly selected 15 public nursery schools distributed throughout the five main districts in Suzhou city. A total of 4 001 children were included in the study. The family environment scale on motor development for urban preschool children (FESMDPU) which was established by our study group and early childhood environment rating scale-revised (ECERS-R) which has been applied well in China were used to assess the family and kindergarten's environment. The multilevel logistic regression was used to analyze the risk factors of DCD when kindergarten environment were considered as "context variables" and the family environment as "individual variables".

RESULTAccording to DSM-IV criteria, a total of 330 children were diagnosed as DCD. The prevalence of DCD was 8.3%. However, there were differences between the two groups in age, gender and Kaup index (all P < 0.05). The results of ECERS-R and FESMDPU showed that the scores of "class space and faculty" "class activity" "class interaction" "family material environment" "family rearing environment" in DCD group were 48.00, 51.00, 49.00, 39.00, and 30.00, respectively, which were higher than those of control group (45.00, 50.00, 47.00, 41.00, 31.00) with statistical significance (U = 455 446.000, 550 787.000, 508 109.000, 543 159.000, and 490 119.000, P < 0.05 for all comparisons) . The score of ECERS-R and FESMDPU were grouped into different levels using the method of K-MEANS. The school and family environment were compared after the clustering. The results showed that the distribution of the rates in different levels between the DCD and control group were different with statistical significance (χ(2) = 51.091, 9.295, 35.464, 15.174, 13.500, P < 0.05 for all comparisons) . There was no significant difference between DCD and non-DCD children in parents' schooling years and family per-capita income of every month (all P > 0.05). The results of the multilevel logistic regression model showed that when children's gender, age and Kaup index were controlled, "class space and faculty" "class activity" "class interaction" "family material environment" "family rearing environment" were included in the model (OR was 3.486, 1.840, 1.623, 1.531, and 1.379, respectively, P < 0.05 for all) .

CONCLUSIONThe prevalence of DCD in study area was higher than that reported by European and American countries. The family and kindergarten environment may affect the incidence of DCD in preschool children. Parents and preschool educational and child health care practitioners should conduct the early prevention and intervention on DCD based on the risk factors of environment in preschool children.

Child ; Child Development ; Child, Preschool ; China ; epidemiology ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Environment ; Family ; Female ; Humans ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Motor Skills ; Motor Skills Disorders ; epidemiology ; psychology ; Psychometrics ; methods ; Psychomotor Performance ; Risk Factors ; Urban Population

OBJECTIVES: This study explored the clinical differences in attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) patients with and without developmental coordination disorder (DCD). METHODS: Participants were 49 children and adolescents with ages between 6 and 18 years. These subjects were placed into 2 groups: ADHD without DCD (24) and ADHD with DCD (25). We used several evaluation tools on both groups: the Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia-Present and Lifetime Version- Korean Version (K-SADS-PL), Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-III (WISC-IIII), Child Behavior Check List (CBCL), Korean Personality Rating Scale for Children (K-PRC), and Bruininks-Osretsky Test of Motor (BOT-2). RESULTS: Patients with both ADHD and DCD had a lower performance intelligence quotient and more internal and external behavioral symptoms than patients with ADHD but not DCD. It is possible that patients with ADHD and motor coordination problems should be noticed earlier and given intensive treatment.
Adolescent ; Anxiety ; Behavioral Symptoms ; Benzidines ; Child ; Child Behavior ; Comorbidity ; Depression ; Humans ; Intelligence ; Mood Disorders ; Motor Skills Disorders

OBJECTIVES: This study explored the clinical differences in attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) patients with and without developmental coordination disorder (DCD). METHODS: Participants were 49 children and adolescents with ages between 6 and 18 years. These subjects were placed into 2 groups: ADHD without DCD (24) and ADHD with DCD (25). We used several evaluation tools on both groups: the Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia-Present and Lifetime Version- Korean Version (K-SADS-PL), Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-III (WISC-IIII), Child Behavior Check List (CBCL), Korean Personality Rating Scale for Children (K-PRC), and Bruininks-Osretsky Test of Motor (BOT-2). RESULTS: Patients with both ADHD and DCD had a lower performance intelligence quotient and more internal and external behavioral symptoms than patients with ADHD but not DCD. It is possible that patients with ADHD and motor coordination problems should be noticed earlier and given intensive treatment.
Adolescent ; Anxiety ; Behavioral Symptoms ; Benzidines ; Child ; Child Behavior ; Comorbidity ; Depression ; Humans ; Intelligence ; Mood Disorders ; Motor Skills Disorders

Child ; Humans ; Motor Skills Disorders ; diagnosis ; therapy

The aim of this study was to examine the set-shifting ability in women with both anorexia nervosa (AN) and bulimia nervosa (BN) and to investigate whether it is contributed by the catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) Val158Met genotype. A total of 102 Korean participants-40 women with lifetime AN, 28 women with lifetime BN, and 34 healthy women of comparable age and intelligence quotient- were examined. A neuropsychological battery of tests was applied and blood samples were obtained for COMT Val158Met genotyping. Set-shifting impairments Trail Making Test (TMT, Part B) were found in patients with AN and BN, respectively. Furthermore, the eating disorders were also linked to deficits in attentional mechanisms (TMT, Part A) and motor skills (Finger Tapping Test). Finally, set-shifting and its link to eating disorders were not moderated by COMT Val158Met genotype.
Aluminum Hydroxide ; Anorexia Nervosa ; Bulimia Nervosa ; Carbonates ; Catechol O-Methyltransferase ; Eating ; Feeding and Eating Disorders ; Female ; Genotype ; Humans ; Intelligence ; Motor Skills ; Trail Making Test

OBJECTIVETo analyze the comorbidities in patients with cerebral palsy (CP) from two perspectives as neurologic subtype and gross motor functions, and find their correlations.

METHODSChildren with cerebral palsy treated in the rehabilitation center from January 2007 to June 2009 received the following examinations: intelligence capacity test, ophthalmologic consultation, language-speech test, brainstem auditory evoked potential and electroencephalogram. They were stratified according to both neurologic subtype and gross motor functions to detect the occurrence of comorbidities.

RESULTSOf all the 354 cases, 166 (46.89%) had mental retardation, 15 (4.24%) auditory limitations, 138 (38.98%) visual disorder, 216 (61.02%) language-speech disorder and 82 (23.16%) epilepsy. The frequency of individual comorbidities were distributed disproportionately between the different neurologic subtypes. Correlation analysis showed that there was a significant correlation between the spastic diplegia and the visual disorder (correlation coefficient = 0.26), between spastic hemiplegia and epilepsy (correlation coefficient = 0.17), between spastic quadriplegia and epilepsy and mental retardation (the correlation coefficient was 0.38 and 0.11, respectively) and between both dyskinetic and mixed children and language-speech disorder (the correlation coefficient was 0.24 and 0.27, respectively). The frequency of individual comorbidities was distributed disproportionately between the different neurologic subtypes and between the different GMFCS levels (P < 0.05), except for the frequency of visual disorders (chi(2) = 1.90, P > 0.05); and with the increase of the GMFCS levels, the burden of the comorbidities were more heavy and the incidence of the comorbidities was higher. Multi-comorbidities were relatively infrequently encountered in those with spastic hemiplegic or spastic diplegic children or patients whose GMFCS levels were I-III, while these entities occurred at a frequent level for those with spastic quadriplegic, dyskinetic, or mixed or children whose GMFCS levels were IV and V, and the differences were significant (P < 0.05). The mean GMFCS levels of children with spastic quadriplegic, dyskinetic or mixed CP were higher than level III, most of them had no ability of ambulation;while the mean GMFCS levels of spastic hemiplegic or spastic diplegic children were below level III, most of them could walk independently.

CONCLUSIONSThere are correlations between the occurrence of the comorbidities such as mental retardation, auditory or visual impairments, language-speech disorders, epilepsy and the cerebral palsy subtype and the gross motor function levels. Clinicians should have a full recognition of these comorbidities, and we should have a cooperation between the different subjects to have an overall evaluation and rehabilitation and to improve the prognosis.

Adolescent ; Cerebral Palsy ; classification ; epidemiology ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Comorbidity ; Epilepsy ; classification ; epidemiology ; Female ; Humans ; Infant ; Male ; Motor Skills ; classification ; Motor Skills Disorders ; classification ; epidemiology ; Quadriplegia ; classification ; epidemiology ; Vision Disorders ; classification ; epidemiology