Dennis P. Cantwell

Adolescent Depressed Mood in a Multiethnic Sample

This research assessed whether there is an impact of race-ethnicity on depressed mood among adolescents, independent of socioeconomic status, whether gender differences in depressed mood are apparent within all race-ethnicity subgroups, and whether pubertal development influences depressed mood in a similar manner within gender and race-ethnicity subgroups. A three-stage, area probability sampling frame was utilized to select adolescents, ages 12–17 years, for an in-person interview. Depressed mood was assessed by the Childrens Depression Inventory. Compared to Whites, African Americans, or Asian Americans, Latinos reported more symptoms of depressed mood, a finding that was independent of socioeconomic status. Advancing puberty was associated with depressed mood only among females, but the timing of pubertal changes, relative to ones peers, was related to depressed mood among both males and females, and among Latinos.

Factors associated with the development of psychiatric illness in children with early speech/language problems

This paper reports on the correlates of psychiatric illness in children with speech and language disorders. Of 600 children selected from a community speech clinic, 50% were found to have diagnosable psychiatric disorders according to DSM-III criteria. These “psychiatrically ill” children were compared to the “psychiatrically well” children in the sample on a variety of developmental, socioeconomic, medical, and psychosocial factors. Although some differences were found between the well and ill children in other factors, the majority of the differences, and the most highly significant differences, were found in areas of linguistic functioning. It is hypothesized that this finding may be relevant not only to understanding the association between linguistic and psychiatric functioning but also to predicting the outcome and planning treatment for childhood speech and language disorders.

Dosage Effects of Methylphenidate on Paired Associate Learning: Positive/Negative Placebo Responders

The present paper is a partial report of the findings from a larger project which examined the effects of three standardized dosages of methylphenidate hydrochloride on both immediate and delayed memory. This paper reports the effect of the medication on both the acquisition and retention of material as measured by performance on a paired-associate Learning (PAL) task. The subjects were boys diagnosed as having the DSM-III diagnosis of Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity. Over an 8-day period of testing, performances measured under active drug conditions (mg/kg) and under a no-drug condition were compared to performances under yoked placebo control conditions . Drug dose-response curves indicated that performance improved under 0.3 mg/kg during the acquisition phase, but the effect of the medication during the retention phase seems confounded by possible negative placebo effects. State-dependent learning was not observed at any of the drug dosages.

Research Concerning Families of Children with Autism

This chapter presents a selective review of the research on families of autistic individuals from infancy through adolescence.* To understand the significance of research dealing with the families of autistic children, one must understand certain basic facts about the role and structure of the family. It is known that the family serves a number of child development functions (including providing the child with emotional bonds, a secure base, life experinces, a network of communication, models of behavior and attitudes, and shaping of behavior through discipline and structure). It is also known that the success with which a family meets these functions is dependent upon a number of factors (including marital harmony, parental stability, patterns of childrearing, and family communication patterns). It is important to realize, however, that because of the complex structure of the family, it is unlikely that there can be any simple relationship between any one particular family factor and the subsequent behavior and development of a child. This is because the family is essentially a variety or network of relationships, which themselves are not unidirectional, which are changing over time, which are themselves influenced by outside factors, and which are, to some extent, self-regulating (Hinde, 1981).

Academic Failures in Children with Communication Disorders

Abstract Twenty-nine of 106 children with communication disorders were identified as academic failures. Compared to an age- and sex-matched control group, the failing group was more likely to have a psychiatric disorder. They were more likely to be rated as having behavioral abnormalities in the classroom but not necessarily at home. The failing group was more likely to have a language as opposed to a speech problem, and to differ on a number of other speech and language factors. Implications of the findings are discussed.

Specific Language and Learning Disorders

Most professionals who work with children acknowledge the existence of a class of disorders of development that are characterized by: (1) the inadequate development of particular skills (involving language and/or academic learning) and (2) the absence of any demonstrable etiology of physical disorder, neurological disorder, global mental retardation, or severe environmental deprivation. This group of disorders has been labeled “minimal brain dysfunction syndrome” by the National Easter Seal Society for Crippled Children and Adults (Clements, 1966a) and the National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Blindness (Clements, 1968b); “special learning disabilities” by the National Advisory Committee on Handicapped Children (1968); “specific learning disabilities” by the National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Stroke (Chalfant & Scheffelin, 1969), the U.S. Office of Education (1977), and the Council for Exceptional Children (U.S. Public Law 94–142; 1975); “developmental disorders” by the World Health Organization (WHO, 1978, 1986); “specific developmental disorders” by the American Psychiatric Association (APA, 1980, 1987); and “learning disabilities” by the National Joint Committee for Learning Disabilities (Hammill, Leigh, McNutt, & Larsen, 1981).

Behavioral/Psychiatric Aspects of Children with Speech and Language Disorders

Impairments in the development of speech or language are relatively common in children. The National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Strokes (NINDS)1 estimates that there are more than two million children in the United States with such disorders. Prevalence estimates for childhood speech and language disorders vary from study to study according to the region of the country being sampled, the procedures and personnel used to identify disorders, and the age range of the children being sampled. However, the consensus of epidemiological studies suggests that as many as 15% of children may at some time show disorders of speech development and that as many as 6% may show disorders of language development.2–7 This means that, throughout his career, the pediatrician is likely to encounter a considerable number of children with speech or language difficulties. Schwartz and Murphy8 calculated that the “average” pediatrician in the United States sees at least one such child each week.