Vanda Maria Gimenes Gonçalves

Agreement between scales for screening and diagnosis of motor development at 6 months

OBJECTIVE: To ascertain the degree of agreement between a score for screening and another for diagnosis of motor development in 6-month old infants and to define the most appropriate cutoff point for screening. METHODS: A sectional study, enrolling asymptomatic full term newborns with gestational ages from 37 to 41 weeks, who were discharged from the maternity unit 2 days after birth and are resident in the Campinas area. Infants were excluded if they presented genetic syndromes, malformations, congenital infections, intensive care admission or low birth weight. The assessment instruments investigated were the Alberta Infant Motor Scale (AIMS) and the Bayley Scales of Infant Development II (BSID-II). Two cutoff points were evaluated for the AIMS, the 5th and 10th percentiles, and for the BSID-II infants were classified according to its motor index score (IS) as having inadequate (IS 85, above the mean minus 1 standard deviation). RESULTS: The study sample comprised 43 infants. Six infants (14.00%) exhibited inadequate motor performance. Using the BSID-II motor classification and the 5th percentile AIMS cutoff, sensitivity was 100%, specificity 78.37%, accuracy 81.39%, kappa index 0.50 and p < 0.001; whereas, using the BSID-II motor classification and the 10th percentile AIMS cutoff, sensitivity was 100%, specificity 48.64%, accuracy 55.81%, kappa index 0.20 and p 0.025. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that concordance between the two 6-month assessment scales is good. The parameters employed are best combined using the 5th percentile AIMS cutoff point.

Acompanhamento de lactentes com baixo peso ao nascimento: aquisição de linguagem

The objective of this work was to follow-up language development of full-term infants/small for gestational age (RNT/PIG) and preterm infants/adequate for gestational age (RNPT/AIG). The assessments were done monthly, up to their 18th months of age. Twenty infants were evaluated, 10 of each group. The Ethical Committee of the institution approved the project. It was used the Protocol for Anamneses and the Early Language Milestone Scale - ELM Scale. Both groups were compared with 47 full term, adequate for gestational age infants. The results had shown that up to the 6th month, the infants showed a normal performance for their age. In the 9th month, there was a delay in babbling production. In the 12th month, infants of the RNT/PIG group showed a significant statistically delay expressing polysyllabic babbling and infants of the RNPT/AIG group showed delay in the production of the first words. In the 18th month, the delay persisted in one infant of the RNT/PIG group.

A importância da equipe interdisciplinar no diagnóstico de dislexia do desenvolvimento: relato de caso

We describe the work of the interdisciplinary staff of FCM/UNICAMP for the diagnosis of developmental dyslexia, evaluating a 9 years old boy from the second year of a first grade public school. The procedure consisted of four stages: 1) Interview with the mother (anamnesis); 2) neuropsychological evaluation; 3) specific evaluation for reading and writing skills; 4) complementary exams. The results revealed that the child presented normal intelligence, normal auditory and visual function but difficulties in reading specific test, in auditory short-term memory (specially in auditory sequences), and in phonological conscience, as well as slowness, lack of concentration, slight neurological signs and hypoperfusion of the mesial portion of the temporal lobe. These data suggest that the child has developmental dyslexia of mixed type, requiring psychopedagogic follow-up.

Método para avaliação da conduta visual de lactentes

The purpose of this study is to introduce a method to evaluate visual functions in infants in the first three months of life. An adaptation of the Guide for the Assessment of Visual Ability in Infants (Gagliardo, 1997) was used. The instrument was a ring with string. It was implemented a pilot study with 33 infants, selected according to the following criteria: neonates well enough to go home within two days of birth; 1 to 3 months of chronological age; monthly evaluation with no absence; subjects living in Campinas/SP metropolitan area. In the first month we observed: visual fixation (93,9%); eye contact (90,9%); horizontal tracking (72,7%); inspects surroundings (97,0%). In the third month, we observed: inspects own hands (42,4%) and increased movements of arms (36,4%). This method allowed the evaluation of visual functions in infants, according to the chronological age. Alterations in this function will facilitate immediate referral to medical services for diagnoses.

Hemiparetic cerebral palsy: etiological risk factors and neuroimaging

The purpose of this paper, which was conducted on 175 children with hemiparetic cerebral palsy (H-CP), was to verify the etiological risk period for this disease. Etiological risk factors (ERF) were detected through anamnesis: 23% in the prenatal period, 18% in the perinatal period and 59% of the patients the period was undefined (ERF in the prenatal and perinatal period was 41% and no ERF was 18% of the cases. The computerized tomographic scan (CT) and MRI were performed on all the patients, who were then classified according to their etiopathogenic data: CT1= normal (18%); CT 2= unilateral ventricular enlargement (25%); CT 3= cortical/ subcortical cavities (28%); CT4= hemispheric atrophy and other findings (14%); CT 5= malformations (15%). CT 5 was associated with physical malformations beyond the central nervous system and with prenatal ERFs, while CT 2 was associated with the perinatal ERFs, mainly in premature births. Magnetic resonance imaging was performed on 57 patients and demonstrated a good degree of concordance with the CT. Etiology remained undefined in only 37% of the cases after neuroimaging was related to ERF. A high perinatal RF frequency (59%) was observed and emphasized the need for special care during this period.

Visual-Motor Integration Problems in Low Birth Weight Infants

This paper represents a review of the research that focuses on a population of strong clinical interest on a national and international scale—infants born with low birth weight (LBW). Among the numerous developmental deficits commonly associated with this group, one of the most frequently cited problems is poor fine- and visual-motor integration. In addition to the direct perceptual-motor development concern, the literature provides a reasonable case that such deficits place this population at increased risk for subnormal academic performance and difficulties with specific daily living (self-help) activities. By assessing the infant at an early age and designing specific strategies for intervention, clinical psychologists can play a major role in improving fine- and visual-motor behavior in this population.

Motor performance of infants born small or appropriate for gestational age: a comparative study.

Purpose: To compare the motor performance of infants born small for gestational age (SGA) with those appropriate for gestational age (AGA) at 1, 2, 3, and 6 months. Methods: A prospective cross-sectional study was conducted including infants born full-term, with birth weight under the 10th percentile for the SGA group and between the 10th and 90th percentiles for the AGA group. The Motor Scale of Bayley Scales of Infant Development-II was used to document motor performance. Results: The SGA group presented a mean motor index score lower than the AGA group at 2 and 6 months, with the SGA group presenting fewer infants that successfully accomplished “makes crawling movements,” “turns from side to back,” “balances head,” “sits alone momentarily,” and “sits alone for 30 seconds.” Conclusions: Data analysis suggested that infants who are SGA present greater risk of adverse outcomes that are detectable in motor performance measures at 2 months.

Factors associated with inadequate fine motor skills in Brazilian students of different socioeconomic status

The objective of this study was to evaluate and compare the motor coordination of Brazilian schoolchildren of different socioeconomic status in their first year of primary education. Factors associated with inadequate fine motor skills were identified. A total of 238 schoolchildren, 118 from a public school and 120 from a private school, were evaluated on fine motor skills using the Evolutional Neurological Examination. Statistical analysis was performed using univariate logistic regression followed by multivariate analysis. Children attending public school had a 5.5-fold greater risk of having inadequate fine motor skills for their age compared to children attending private school, while children who started school after four years of age had a 2.8-fold greater risk of having inadequate motor coordination compared to children who began school earlier. Data for this sample suggest socioeconomic factors and later entry of children to school may be associated with their fine motor skills.

Comportamento de lactentes nascidos a termo pequenos para a idade gestacional no primeiro trimestre da vida

The objective was to compare the behavior of full-term infants small-for-gestational age (SGA) with full-term appropriate-for-gestational age (AGA). The sample considered 20 infants in the 1st, 2nd and in the 3rd months of life. The Bayley Scales of Infant Development-II were used, with attention to items related to Behavior Rate Scale (BRS). It was found that SGA infants showed lower average values in the BRS in the 2nd month. The Motor Quality Factor displayed significantly lower average values in SGA group, in the items Gross-motor Movement Required by Tasks, Control of Movements and Hypertonicity. The Attention/Arousal Factor in the items Exploration of Objects/Surroundings and Orientation to Examiner displayed significantly lower average values in the SGA group.

Interlimb coordination differentiates Brazilian children from two socioeconomic settings

Background:  The aim of the present study was to test the notion that Brazilian children entering private school have a motor function advantage over those entering their first year in public school.