Rivka Landau

Emerging Developmental Pathways to ADHD: Possible Path Markers in Early Infancy

Sixty-six male infants participating in the Ben-Gurion Infant Development Study of familial risk for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)were assessed at 7 months of age using observational and mother report measures. Risk for ADHD was based on ADHD symptoms in the father. Infants whose fathers had seven or more symptoms formed the ADHD risk group; infants whose fathers had three or less symptoms formed the comparison group. The ADHD risk group significantly differed from the comparison group on measures of interest, anger, and activity level and showed less interest in block play and more anger reactivity but less directed anger in a barrier task. According to mother report, the ADHD risk group had higher levels of activity than the comparison group. Measures of neonatal immaturity and activity were related to behavior at 7 months. The findings suggest that possible developmental pathways to ADHD may be emerging in early infancy.

Parenting of 7-month-old infants at familial risk for ADHD during infant's free play, with restrictions on interaction☆

Patterns of interaction of 34 mothers and fathers with their 7-month-old boys at familial risk for ADHD and 25 comparison families were studied during infant play with blocks. The parents were instructed to refrain from intervening as much as possible. Infants in the risk group did not differ from those in the comparison group in frequency of needing help or involving parents in play. Nonetheless, they received adequate responsivity from their mothers less often than infants in the comparison group. Mothers in the risk group were also more likely not to respond to these needs at all. Mothers in the comparison group were more physically intrusive. No group difference was found for maternal rebuilding of the infants play. No group differences were found for any of fathers behaviors. However, fathers in both groups rebuilt their infants play more frequently than mothers, infants looked at them more often, and a larger number of infants involved the father in their play.

Dopamine risk and paternal ADHD symptomatology associated with ADHD symptoms in four and a half-year-old boys.

Objective This study examined the influence of allelic variation in two dopamine genes, the dopamine receptor D4 (DRD4) gene and the dopamine transporter D1 (DAT1) gene, and paternal attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptomatology on the level of ADHD symptoms in 96 four and a half-year-old boys. Method DNA was collected by means of a buccal swab and genotyped for DRD4 and DAT1. Mothers completed the Dupaul ADHD checklist on their sons. ADHD symptomatology ratings for fathers were based on a summed father self-reported and spouse-reported symptoms (Conners Adult ADHD Rating Scale). Results There were main effects for DAT1 and father symptomatology for the child Total ADHD and Hyperactivity–Impulsivity scores. The main effects for DRD4 were limited to the child Hyperactivity–Impulsivity scores. Child Inattentive scores were influenced only by father symptomatology. Interaction effects between DAT1 and DRD4 and between DAT1 and the father ADHD risk group were found for child Hyperactivity–Impulsivity scores. Boys with the highest level of symptomatology were those with the 10/10 DAT1 genotype and the DRD4-7 genotype or fathers with high symptomatology. Conclusion The findings of this study indicate that the risk for ADHD, particularly hyperactivity–impulsivity, is exacerbated in the presence of dopamine risk genes and paternal ADHD symptomatology. This study adds to the growing literature on the efficacy of including multiple genetic and environmental risk factors in studies related to the development of psychopathology.

Sleep patterns of 7-week-old infants at familial risk for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

Sleep patterns of 26 seven-week-old boys at familial risk for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and 18 control infants were compared by objective (actigraph) and subjective (maternal sleep diary) measures, over five consecutive 24-hr periods. Actigraph findings indicated that the groups differed on stability (SD) of quiet sleep only during the day. Reports in maternal sleep diaries indicated that they also differed on stability of waking and stability of sleep duration, again only during the day. No group differences were found in terms of average scores, whether calculated for the entire 24-hr periods, for nights, or for days. Mothers in the risk group reported that fathers were less involved in infant care than did those in the control group. These findings suggest that as early as 7 weeks of age, infants at risk for ADHD differ from controls only on stability of their sleep patterns during the day, when environmental regulatory factors are more intensive.

Parenting of 7‐month‐old infants at familial risk for attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder

Patterns of interaction between parents and 7-month-old boys at familial risk for attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and a comparison group were studied during a warm-up and two play episodes. The sample included 78 (47 at-risk, 31 comparison) mother-child and 45 (27 at-risk, 18 comparison) father-child dyads. A coding system developed by G. Kochanska (1997, 1998) was used. Infants in the risk group did not differ from the comparison group in the rate of emission of infant-related events. However, they received less adequate responsivity from both their fathers and their mothers to these events, and specifically to negative emotions or distress, than did the comparison group. Maternal psychopathology did not account for these findings. Mothers were more adequately responsive than were fathers, especially for physiological needs. The association between nonoptimal interaction in infancy and the development of ADHD is discussed.

Reference to emotion states during narrative co-construction with three- year-old kibbutz children : Comparison of mother-child and metapelet-child dyads

In this study of young kibbutz children, we considered similarities and differences between mother-child dyads and metapelet (nonmaternal female caregiver)-child dyads on their rates of mentioning positive and negative emotion states and emotion calls during narrative co-construction from a text-free picture book illustrating emotionally charged situations. Thirty-two kibbutz children approximately 3 years of age, their mothers, and their metaplot (i.e., plural of metapelet) were observed during co-construction from the picture book. All participants (mothers, metaplot, children with mothers, and children with metaplot) mentioned more negative emotion states and emitted more negative emotion calls than positive ones. Children mentioned less emotion states than adults. No differences were found between mothers and metaplot in the number of emotion states mentioned, but mothers used significantly more emotion calls than did the metaplot, and their children tended to reciprocate. The influence of the context and type of relationship on emotion regulation is discussed.

Does the child's actual participation make a difference? Positive and negative emotion states mentioned by mothers of young children during narrative construction

The study examined the rate that mothers mentioned positive and negative emotion states and emotion calls during narrative construction from a text-free children’s picture book illustrating happy and emotionally charged situations. Ninety-three mothers of 3- to 4-year-old kibbutz children were divided into three groups: (1) the child was not present and not mentioned; (2) the child was not present, but was mentioned by the experimenter; and (3) the child co-constructed the narrative with his/her mother. Mothers mentioned significantly more negative emotion states in the co-construction group than in the two other groups; no difference was found for positive emotion states. Findings for emotion calls differed: mothers used more positive emotion calls in the second group than in the other groups, and they used more negative emotion calls in the second and third group than in the first group.