Thesis (Ed. D.)--Indiana University of Pennsylvania. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (D.Phil.)-Universiteit van Pretoria, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references. Available on the Internet via the World Wide Web.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2001. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 79-100). Available also in a digital version from Dissertation Abstracts.

The present investigation considered the utility of traditional psychoeducational measures in the prediction of neuropsychological impairment in learning disabled children. The subjects were 368 learning disabled children ranging in age from 9 to 14, with a mean age of 10.68 years, and a standard deviation of 1.62. In addition to traditional psychoeducational measures, each subject was administered the Halstead-Reitan Neuropsychological Battery for Older Children (HRNB-C). Subjects were considered impaired or nonimpaired on the basis of their score on the HRNB-C. A Discriminant Analysis was utilized to investigate what variables from the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R), Wide Range Achievement Test-Revised (WRAT-R) and the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Revised (PPVT-R) would be used to predict the subjects' neuropsychological status. It was found that 12 variables added significantly (R < .05) to the prediction of impairment, with Arithmetic and Block Design subtests the most prominent predictors. A Regression Analysis was used to consider the subjects' score on the HRNB-C in a continous fashion. The regression equation that emerged showed the Performance Scale of the WISC-R to be the best predictor of the impairment index.MANOVA and ANOVA statistics were used to investigate the differences between the groups. Results indicated that there was a significant main effect for gender. Males tended to score higher than females on visual spatial tasks. General cognitive skills were lower in females than males. Overall, females tended to be more neuropsychologically impaired than males. / Department of Educational Psychology

Thesis (M.A. (Clinical Psychology)) --University of Limpopo (Turfloop Campus), 2005 / The aim of this study was to establish whether children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity show deficits in cognitive impulsiveness and motor functions, caused by a hypofunctioning dopamine system. A group of 84 primary school children, 42 classified as ADHD and 42 controls, matched for age, gender and SES, with children without ADHD symptomatology, were compared on their performance on neuropsychological tests which test the functions of the cortical areas supplied by two dopamine branches, the meso-cortical and nigrostriatal branches. The battery consisted of the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, the Grooved Pegboard, and the Maze Coordination Task. The results of the tests were analysed as a function of gender and ADHD-subtypes. In the majority of tests the clinical groups performed worse than the control groups. This was the case for both genders. The Hyperactive/Impulsive and Combined subtypes consistently performed poorer than the other groups. The results indicate that children with ADHD are more impulsive (deficient executive functions) and have poorer motor control than their control counterparts, which may be an indication of dopamine dysfunction.

The purpose of the study was to examine the utility of profile analysis using the SCAD index of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Third Edition (WISC-III) and behavioral rating scales as brief and accessible elements of a standard neuropsychological battery by which to screen for deficits or assets within the interface between attention, executive functions, and working memory. An ancillary purpose was to examine the further role and diagnostic efficacy of using a continuous performance test of vigilance as a discriminating measure between specific clinical groups. Three subtypes of individuals referred to a diagnostic assessment clinic were identified by means of a three-stage cluster analysis in a sample of 86 children and adolescents on the basis of scores attained on specific neuropsychological, cognitive, and behavioral variables. It was also found that the assigned clusters exhibited a high degree of consistency with the individual diagnoses ultimately rendered during the evaluation. The variables which best discriminated the three subtypes were identified through a forward stepwise discriminant analysis and subjected to multiple validation procedures. The significant and discriminating variables included the SCAD Index, the Attention Problems and Hyperactivity scales of the Behavioral Assessment System for Children (BASC) and the Perceptual Organization factor of the WISC-III. It was also determined that the overall index and a time-related measure from the Conners' Continuous Performance Test (CCPT) were indeed able to differentiate clinical groups. Functional and theoretical implications were addressed in terms of their relevance for examining the interface between attention, executive functions, and working memory as well as for the identification and treatment of those diagnosed with ADHD and LD, or individuals considered to be gifted or intellectually advanced. / Department of Educational Psychology

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Melbourne, 1996. / Typescript (photocopy). Includes bibliographical references (leaves 422-472).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 1998. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves [104]-122).

This study proposed a multifactorial model of development to understand the development of infants during their first 12 months of life who had been born to chemically dependent women. The impact of maternal chemical dependency on pregnancy outcome, factors associated with severity of neonatal abstinence syndrome and effectiveness of three treatments used in the management of neonatal abstinence syndrome was studied in 271 mother-infant pairs, who were managed by the Chemical Dependency Unit, Royal Women’s Hospital, Melbourne between April 1991 and May 1994. / The chemically dependent mothers and their infants were grouped on the basis of their primary drug of abuse: viz methadone, heroin, non-opioid and codeine groups. Fifty two infants born to drug-free mothers were recruited from a routine antenatal clinic of the same hospital to serve as a control group. The controls were matched for maternal age, marital status, race socioeconomic status, educational level, alcohol and tobacco consumption. / Patterns of maternal drug use were determined by reports from methadone treatment programs, drug rehabilitation centres, medical records, personal interviews and urine toxicologic assays performed on mothers during pregnancy and on their infants during the first 48 hours of life. Urine was assayed for metabolites of methadone, amphetamines, barbiturates, cocaine, opiates, cannabis and benzodiazepines. / There were 180 heroin-dependent, one morphine-dependent and one pethidine-dependent pregnant women enrolled in methadone maintenance programs. The methadone group consisted of these 182 methadone-maintained women and their offspring. Thirty five heroin-dependent women and their offspring formed the heroin group. The non-opioid group consisted of 46 chemically dependent women who used multiple drugs but not opioid drugs during their pregnancy and their offspring. There were eight mother-infant pairs in the codeine group. The mothers in this group primarily abused medication containing codeine in pregnancy. (For complete abstract open document)

Thesis (PhD) - Faculty of Life and Social Sciences, Swinburne University of Technology, 2009. / Submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, Faculty of Life and Social Sciences, Swinburne University of Technology - 2009. Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (p. 264-308)