Leon A. Rosenberg

Studies in kernicterus. III. The saturation of serum proteins with bilirubin during neonatal life and its relationship to brain damage at five years

Psychometric studies were performed on a group of 5-year-old children who had been jaundiced during neonatal life. On the basis of the test results, 14 children were considered normal and 18 were classified as having brain damage. The presence or absence of brain damage was compared with clinical and laboratory determinations that had been made on the children during their period of neonatal hyperbilirubinemia. No significant correlations were found between the presence or absence of brain damage and the maximum bilirubin concentration, birth weight, sex, presence or absence of hemolytic disease, or the use of exchange transfusion. A significant correlation was found between the presence or absence of brain damage and the saturation of the serum proteins with bilirubin during infancy.

Intermittent High Dose Corticosteroid Treatment in Childhood Cancer: Behavioral and Emotional Consequences

Effects of prednisone (60 mg/m 2 ) on behavior, mood, and sleep were investigated in 16 outpatient pediatric oncology patients in remission and on a maintenance drug treatment protocol calling for intermittent oral pulses of prednisone. Rating scales for sleep disturbance, depression, and an inventory of common symptons associated with corticosteroids were used to study patients as their own controls during alternating phases of maintenance drug alone and maintenance drug plus prednisone. There were statistically significant differences in number of symptoms on and off prednisone including ( p p p p 2 ) on oncology protocols is recommended.

Behavioral problems and severity of tics

This study examined the incidence of behavioral symptoms in youngsters with tic disorders. A total of 186 patients were studied using the Child Behavior Checklist and a Motor/Vocal Tic Severity Scale. The relationship between tic severity and the frequency of behavioral symptoms was found to be not simply linear, but influenced by the presence of patients without significant behavioral problems in spite of severe tics (resilient patients) and patients with very negative adjustment although their tic disorder was mild (vulnerable patients). Behavioral problems were not related to age. Patients who were receiving medication showed behavioral problems of different severity from those who were not receiving such agents; this result emphasizes the need for future studies to consider carefully the effects of medication.

Emotional and Learning Disorders in 6–12‐Year-Old Boys Attending Special Schools

In two referral schools serving children aged 6–12 in a large metropolitan area, one a special school for learning disability (LD) and the other a special school for severely emotionally disturbed (ED), the Edelbrock and Achenbach Child Behavior Checklist-Teachers Report Form was completed by the primary teacher on male students 4 weeks before the end of the school term to determine the prevalence and pattern of behavioral and emotional disorder in the two settings. Behavioral profiles were similar; students in the ED school, however, had statistically higher total scores ( p p p p p p

Children's behavioral response to residential treatment

This study examined behavior changes demonstrated over time by children who had been placed in a residential treatment center. Objective observation of behavior during such a placement is essential for continued treatment planning, including continuing in residence, transfer, or discharge. Teachers and residential treatment counselors completed Child Behavior Checklists at admission, discharge, and time points in between, for 36 patients. The results indicated excellent interjudge reliability for externalizing behavior but not for internalizing. Children who demonstrated oppositional, defiant, or generally conduct-type symptoms seemed to do most poorly in the residential treatment setting. The results suggested that the current design of residential treatment centers may not be effective in dealing with acting-out behavior problems.

RELATIONSHIP OF THE CHILD BEHAVIOR CHECKLIST TO AN INDEPENDENT MEASURE OF PSYCHOPATHOLOGY

The parents of 28 patients with Tourette syndrome completed the Child Behavior Checklist. Severity of illness rankings were obtained from the therapist by use of the Q-sort method. Statistically significant positive correlations were obtained between several of the checklist measures and the measure of severity of illness. The results demonstrated a sensitivity of the checklist to variations in degree of dysfunction that if successfully replicated would indicate that the Child Behavior Checklist could be a valuable measure in research on treatment outcome.

Munchausen syndrome by proxy

This study examined the indicators of possible presence of Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy (MSBP) in pediatric inpatients discharged against-medical-advice (AMA), in cases transferred to another hospital, and in regular discharges. In a two-year period, there were fourteen AMA discharges and twenty-four transfer cases. These were compared to a randomly selected sample of forty-one regular discharges occurring during the same time period, matched for age, sex and pediatric service. The records were scored for the presence or absence of six MSBP characteristics, which had been developed from a review of MSBP literature. The findings indicated a suspicion for MSBP in 64 percent of the AMA cases, 8 percent of the transfer cases, and none in regular discharges. The findings suggest that AMA discharges need to be examined for the possible presence of MSBP.

Separation reaction of psychiatrically hospitalized children: A pilot study

This paper reports on the development of theChildrens Separation Rating Scale (CSRS), its initial reliability and validity, and clinical/research utility with psychiatrically hospitalized children. The CSRS appears to be a reliable and valid instrument, and useful in distinguishing childrens separation reaction from their general programs should address the developmental needs and abilities of the various age groups and the particular deficits reflected in their psychopathology.

Cross‐cultural studies with the Conners Rating Scales

The teacher and parent forms of the Conners Rating Scales were completed by the parents and teachers of 863 children who were living in an area of Bombay, India. Two socioeconomic strata were sampled. The results were compared to American norms for ratings done by parents and teachers. The teacher ratings demonstrated some clear differences from American norms. Correlational analysis suggested that the Conners scales showed greater overlap, and, hence, less independence, than has been reported in the American research literature.

EFFECT OF MARITAL DISCORD ON PARENTAL REPORTS ON THE CHILD BEHAVIOR CHECKLIST

The relationship between indicators of marital discord and differences between parents reports of the behavior of their children on a symptom/behavior checklist was investigated for a sample of 18 consecutive admissions to an inpatient child psychiatry program. The parents independently and separately were administered the Achenbach and Edelbrock Child Behavior Checklist. An experienced clinician rated the families on three indices of marital discord following a paired-comparison procedure. The findings indicated that the greater the marital difficulty, the greater the difference in the adults ratings of behavior difficulties in the children. Since marital discord can influence parents perceptions of their childrens behavior, sex of parent cannot be ignored as a variable in studies utilizing behavioral checklists for such purposes as a dependent measure of therapeutic change.