Maria Cristina Triguero Veloz Teixeira

Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL),Youth Self-Report (YSR) and Teacher's Report Form(TRF): an overview of the development of the original and Brazilian versions

O Sistema de Avaliacao de Base Empirica de Achenbach para criancas/adolescentes em idade escolar inclui tres instrumentos para avaliar problemas emocionais e/ou comportamentais: Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) [pais], Youth Self-Report (YSR) [adolescentes] e Teachers Report Form (TRF) [professores]. Este artigo de revisao fornece informacoes detalhadas sobre o desenvolvimento desses instrumentos nos Estados Unidos e no Brasil, descrevendo as principais alteracoes em itens, escalas e pontos de corte na pontuacao, ocorridas nas versoes originais de 1991 a 2001, e o processo de traducao, retrotraducao e adaptacao cultural dos questionarios originais para desenvolver as atuais versoes brasileiras oficiais do CBCL, YSR e TRF. A utilidade desses instrumentos em pesquisa e na pratica clinica e salientada, mencionando estudos epidemiologicos e de avaliacao de intervencoes conduzidos no Brasil. Pesquisadores e clinicos sao instruidos a respeito do uso correto das atuais versoes brasileiras oficiais, dando exemplos de perguntas frequentes, relevantes para o contexto brasileiro.

Efeitos do trabalho sobre a saúde de adolescentes

O estudo analisa consequencias do trabalho para as condicoes de vida, saude e desenvolvimento psicossocial de adolescentes. Participaram do estudo 354 estudantes de 14 a 18 anos, do ensino medio, periodo noturno. A analise das representacoes foi realizada a partir da coleta de evocacoes livres. Os dados sobre sono foram obtidos por meio de questionarios, sobre auto-percepcoes acerca das condicoes de vida e trabalho, sintomas de saude e doencas. A analise de dados foi realizada com o software EVOC 2000 e SPSS. Constataram-se diferencas significativas na duracao media de sono entre os adolescentes: os trabalhadores relataram menores medias de duracao de sono. Entre os trabalhadores, referiram dormir menos os que sentem sono no trabalho e nas aulas, tem maiores exigencias psicologicas no trabalho, ganham acima de 1 salario minimo mensal, jornadas acima de 6 horas diarias ou acima de 20 horas semanais, trabalham em local barulhento e com presenca de gases e vapores. As representacoes do trabalho entre os jovens apontam contradicao entre o seu reconhecimento como valor moral positivo para o desenvolvimento psicossocial e a construcao da identidade, e as consequencias negativas decorrentes da exposicao a cargas fisicas e psicologicas precocemente.

Mothers of children with cerebral palsy with or without epilepsy: a quality of life perspective

Purpose. Disability in a child affects not only the childs life but also the familys life. The aim of our study is to verify the quality of life (QOL) of mothers of disabled children with cerebral palsy (CP) with epilepsy compared with non-epilepsy children evaluated in a Brazilian center. Methods. Thirty mothers of disabled children participated in the study. The control group comprised of 18 healthy mothers of children without disabilities. All mothers agreed to participate in the study. They completed the evaluation forms of the SF-36 health survey, a well-documented, self-administered QOL scoring system. Results. The results of our study support the premise that mothers of children with CP, as a group, have poorer QOL than mothers of not disabled children. Conclusions. We also observed that mothers of children with CP and epilepsy have poorer QOL than mothers of children with CP without epilepsy.

Literatura científica brasileira sobre transtornos do espectro autista

OBJECTIVE: This study is a systematic review aiming to conduct a general analysis of the scientific production covering publications of Brazilian authors about ASD in the period from 2002 to 2009. METHODS: The bibliographic search was conducted in the following scientific databases: PUBMED, SciELO, LILACS and portal CAPES, by using keywords such as autism and pervasive developmental disorders. RESULTS: A total of 93 papers were identified mainly produced by authors from tSoutheast Brazil and from public universities. Approximately one third of the papers was published in journals with a level of impact factor that ranged from 0.441 to 3.211; most of them were based on small sample sizes. Identified were 140 dissertations/theses; 82.1% were masters theses. The major research topic was related to intervention programs addressing ASD. CONCLUSION: This review shows that Brazilian researchers are interested in the ASD theme, however, a large part of this scientific production is concentrated in dissertation/masters theses and the minority of papers was published in journals with a high impact factor. Results of this systematic review suggest the need for studies with larger sample sizes which would produce greater impact and visibility in the Brazilian scientific production in the field of the ASD.

A survey of women's social representations of aging and rejuvenation.

The goal of this work was to analyze the social representations that women of three different age groups had about aging, rejuvenating, and methods of rejuvenation. The research was performed in São Paulo between 2004 and 2005. The participants of this research were three groups of women of different ages: 19 to 24 years, 25 to 35 years, and over 60 years. The data were collected by the focus group technique. Data was analyzed using the lexical analysis software ALCESTE 4.5. The main results show a social representation of aging centered on losses and gains. The subjects appraised the possibility of using rejuvenating methods only when it was extremely necessary, because of the health risks that most of them involve. The three groups agreed about natural methods of rejuvenating instead of resorting to invasive methods.

Social play impairment following status epilepticus during early development

Neonatal status epilepticus (SE) disrupts prefrontal cortex and thalamus, brain regions related to social play. Juvenile play was evaluated using the “intruder–resident” paradigm following SE in 9-day-old Wistar pups of both genders. Quite interestingly, we demonstrated for the first time that neonatal SE produces social impairment in male rats, reduces locomotor activity in both genders and enhances self-grooming in female. Additional studies are necessary to clarify if these effects can impair social behavior across the life span.

Rastreamento de sinais e sintomas de transtornos do espectro do autismo em irmãos

Pervasive developmental disorders (PDD) are characterized by comprehensive and qualitative abnormalities affecting three areas of development: reciprocal social interaction, communication, and a repetitive, stereotyped behavioral repertoire, of limited interests. Genetic studies have identified the recurrence of PDD in the same family. The present study aimed to trace the occurrence of signs and symptoms of PDD in the siblings of patients with this diagnosis. The study included 25 subjects from 19 families. Data collection was performed using the Brazilian version of the Autism Screening Questionnaire (ASQ). Two cases of PDD in siblings were confirmed (10.52% of cases): a monozygotic twin brother and the brother of a proband with a diagnosis of Asperger syndrome. Our data indicate higher rates of PDD in siblings than described in the literature (2-6%), close to the findings that suggest a 10% rate of familial recurrence in dizygotic twins. This result provides evidence of possible neurogenetic factors to explain the occurrence of PDD in relatives of the probands assessed and underscores the need to screen not only the child under evaluation, but also their siblings.Pervasive developmental disorders (PDD) are characterized by comprehensive and qualitative abnormalities affecting three areas of development: reciprocal social interaction, communication, and a repetitive, stereotyped behavioral repertoire, of limited interests. Genetic studies have identified the recurrence of PDD in the same family. The present study aimed to trace the occurrence of signs and symptoms of PDD in the siblings of patients with this diagnosis. The study included 25 subjects from 19 families. Data collection was performed using the Brazilian version of the Autism Screening Questionnaire (ASQ). Two cases of PDD in siblings were confirmed (10.52% of cases): a monozygotic twin brother and the brother of a proband with a diagnosis of Asperger syndrome. Our data indicate higher rates of PDD in siblings than described in the literature (2-6%), close to the findings that suggest a 10% rate of familial recurrence in dizygotic twins. This result provides evidence of possible neurogenetic factors to explain the occurrence of PDD in relatives of the probands assessed and underscores the need to screen not only the child under evaluation, but also their siblings.

Assessment of efficacy of the Phonic Literacy software for students with intellectual disability

the aim of the study was to verify the effectiveness of computer based intervention with the Phonological Awareness Literacy Software for students with intellectual disabilities. The software enables participation in activities that stimulate the development of phonological awareness and grapheme to phoneme conversion. Twenty-two children and teenagers between the ages of 10 and 17 years participated in the study. Initial evaluation of cognitive development level was performed using the Columbia Mental Maturity Scale and the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children. All the participants were randomly divided into two groups: experimental and control. The groups were matched for sex, age, and cognitive development level. The Reading and Writing Tests Battery and The Verbal Phonological Awareness Test were used for assessment at the beginning and end of the intervention program. Sixteen individual sessions were run with the experimental group participants using the Computerized Phonological Reading software. The results indicated improvements in writing, reading and phonological awareness skills only for the experimental group. Comparison with normative data showed that before the intervention the experimental groups performance was on the level of pre-school children, but after the intervention, they tested at the 2nd grade level.

Microcefalia e outras manifestações relacionadas ao vírus Zika: impacto nas crianças, nas famílias e nas equipes de saúde

The present study aimed to present an overview of recent national and international research on the Zika virus (ZIKV), as well as to explore possible action plans focused on children, their families and the health teams involved.Therefore, the study proposes the implementation of tracking systems in order to identify, describe and characterize the potential correlates of prenatal exposure to ZIKV, divided into three lines of action: 1. Diagnostic and etiological evaluation as well as screening of developmental problems in children confirmed or suspected of prenatal ZIKV infection. 2. Investigation of the emotional impact, quality of life, coping strategies and support network of the affected children and their families. 3. Training of multidisciplinary teams to conduct assessments and intervention programs throughout these childrens development, especially in the first three years of life. In conclusion, the recent ZIKV outbreak in Brazil and several other Latin American countries places a significant burden on the health care systems: to understand the real meaning of a potential new teratogen; to unravel the pathogenic mechanisms of ZIKV, particularly in a prevention perspective; and to recognize the broad spectrum of clinical manifestations in order to devise intervention programs.O presente estudo objetivou apresentar um panorama nacional e internacional atual dos estudos sobre o virus Zika (ZIKV) e, ancorado no avanco deste conhecimento, refletir sobre planos de acao voltados para as criancas, familias e equipes de saude envolvidas. Neste sentido, o estudo propos a implementacao de sistemas de seguimento para conhecer, descrever e caracterizar aspectos que devem estar relacionados a exposicao pre-natal ao ZIKV, divididos em tres eixos de atuacao: 1. Avaliacao diagnostica e etiologica e rastreamento de problemas de desenvolvimento nas criancas incluidas como casos confirmados ou suspeitos. 2. Investigacao do impacto emocional, da qualidade de vida, das estrategias de enfrentamento e da rede de apoio as familias das criancas incluidas. 3. Capacitacao de equipes multiprofissionais para avaliar e elaborar programas de intervencao ao longo do desenvolvimento das criancas, principalmente nos tres primeiros anos de vida. Como conclusao, o presente trabalho ressalta que o sistema de assistencia a saude encontra-se diante de grandes desafios: entender o real significado de um potencial novo teratogeno; desvendar os mecanismos patogenicos do ZIKV, principalmente para o enfrentamento preventivo, e reconhecer o amplo espectro de manifestacoes clinicas para a elaboracao de programas de intervencao.

Associations between Inadequate Parenting Practices and Behavioral Problems in Children and Adolescents with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Children and adolescents with ADHD present behaviors such as impulsiveness, inattention, and difficulties with personal organization that represent an overload for parents. Moreover, it also increases their level of stress and leads them to resort to inadequate educational strategies. The present study verifies associations between inadequate parenting practices and behavioral profiles of children and adolescents with ADHD. The sample was composed of 22 children with ADHD (age range 6–16 years) and their mothers. Spearman correlation analyses were made with the scores of Parenting Style Inventory (PSI) and Child Behavior Checklist for ages 6–18 (CBCL/6–18). Results indicate statistically significant associations between behavioral problems and the use of punishment practices and negligence. When assessing a child with ADHD, it is important to verify the predominant types of parenting practices that can influence both immediate interventions and the prognosis of the disorder.Children and adolescents with ADHD present behaviors such as impulsiveness, inattention, and difficulties with personal organization that represent an overload for parents. Moreover, it also increases their level of stress and leads them to resort to inadequate educational strategies. The present study verifies associations between inadequate parenting practices and behavioral profiles of children and adolescents with ADHD. The sample was composed of 22 children with ADHD (age range 6-16 years) and their mothers. Spearman correlation analyses were made with the scores of Parenting Style Inventory (PSI) and Child Behavior Checklist for ages 6-18 (CBCL/6-18). Results indicate statistically significant associations between behavioral problems and the use of punishment practices and negligence. When assessing a child with ADHD, it is important to verify the predominant types of parenting practices that can influence both immediate interventions and the prognosis of the disorder.