Objective: It is thought that executive functions (EF) emerge as outcomes of interactions between cognitive and emotional processes. They are an integral component of the growing regulatory abilities of children and adolescents and are important for academic success, attainment of social competence, and psychological development, among others. It is essential to evaluate them during neuropsychological assessment. However, they are difficult to capture with performance-based, neuropsychological assessment tools. These were once considered ‘gold standard’ measurements of EF but have been critiqued for a number of reasons. As such, rating scales have been useful as a complementary, perhaps eventual alternative, to performance-based tests. Behavioural screeners have high replicability, making them practical for use across various populations, and to evaluate everyday behaviours. A four-factor executive function screener derived from the Behavior Assessment System for Children (BASC) was previously developed and validated in a variety of age ranges and groups (Garcia-Barrera et al., 2011). However, with the exception of children with ADHD, the effectiveness of the screener has not been examined in individuals with neurologic disorder. In this population, EF are often impaired, due to delays or disruptions in normal brain development. Given these challenges in this population, this study 1) derived a similar screener for use in adolescents with neurologic disorder, using the second edition of the BASC, and 2) evaluated it against a commonly used EF rating scale [i.e., the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF)] as well as performance-based executive function measures. Thirdly, this study characterized the nature of EFs in this clinical population, given that EF deficits are often central characteristics in many neurological disorders. Participants and Methods: An archival analysis was conducted with 107 neurologically-affected adolescents seen for neuropsychological assessment at Queen Alexandra Centre for Children’s Health. Patients were included in the study if they gave consent, had at least low average intellectual functioning, had a BASC-2 completed by a parent, and were between the ages of 12-18 years. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to evaluate the derived screener. Bivariate correlation analyses were used to evaluate convergent validity. To characterize the nature of this sample’s EF profiles, differences among groups were measured in a profile analysis via multivariate analysis of variance. Results: The four-factor model, as measured by the BASC-2 EF screener, fit the data most optimally, indicating that the structure of EF reflects the four-factor model observed in other studies. Consistent with other studies, convergent validity was observed with the BRIEF but not the performance-based tasks. Profile analysis indicated that there were some overall differences among the neurological groups and their BASC-2 scores as well as individual differences on the various factor scores. Conclusions: These findings support the four factor model measured by the screener in adolescents with neurological disorders. Given the consistency between the factor structure in this population and previous studies measuring this screener in healthy populations, and the convergence of the screener and the BRIEF, these findings contribute to the body of literature supporting this executive functioning screener as a complement to performance-based tasks. / Graduate / 2018-09-18

Unfortunately, one rite of passage of childhood is often serious injury that carries psychological impact along with the obvious physical repercussions. Prior studies have found conflicting results for protective/risk factors, thus this study attempted to explore PTSD in a sample of children ages seven to thirteen years of age with moderate to severe injuries. In this study (N = 32), 31.3% of children experiencing such a sudden injury requiring hospitalization at the University of Kentucky Childrens Hospital demonstrated significant indications of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) following the injury. Several pre, peri, and post-trauma variables from during the childs hospitalization to the follow-up period four to five weeks later were correlated with this outcome including age, ethnicity, acute stress disorder (ASD) with or without dissociation criteria being met, prior medical experience, parents score on the BSI-18 while the child is still in this hospital, chronic illness status, gender, number of coping strategies reported by the child while in the hospital, the number of negative coping strategies reported, the amount of pain reported, and several follow-up variables (parents BSI-18 score, number of coping strategies reported, number of negative and positive coping strategies reported, injury threat, and total number of impairments reported by the child and by the parent). Negative coping did not significantly change from the in-hospital period to the follow-up period. Surprisingly, the STEPP, a current screener described and supported by some past research, was not successful in identifying these at-risk children; however, a new screening prototype was developed including age, acute stress disorder (ASD), and pain that did successfully predict 80% of those with PTSD and 85% of those without later PTSD. A follow-up screener consisting solely of parental items (parental symptoms on the BSI-18 and parental rating of child impairments) was also created and found to sensitively predict 90% of those children with PTSD. Implications from these findings along with study strengths and weaknesses were highlighted.

Background: Police officers are often the first to respond when persons experience a mental health crisis in the community. They must de-escalate volatile situations involving persons with serious mental disorder (PSMD) and bring the person to the attention of either the criminal justice or mental health care system. It is argued that issues such as repeated police contact, excessive emergency department (ED) wait times, and the criminalization of the mentally ill are evidence that the current system lacks the ability to meet the needs of PSMD. Critics have argued the source of the problem is inadequate police training, and insufficient and poorly organized community mental health services. Others claim that the underlying issue is that the current system for responding to PSMD is dysfunctional. The model is based on the concept that the best way to meet the needs of PSMD is through the integration of systems and services which to date, has remained an impossible goal. Given the current system will not be replaced anytime soon, efforts should be directed toward developing innovative ways to make it easier for the systems to work more effectively together. Objectives: The major objective of this dissertation was to develop and pilot a new mental health screening form, the interRAI Brief Mental Health Screener (BMHS)* to enhance the ability of police officers to identify PSMD, and to support their decision-making. A second objective was to develop a model that best predicts which persons are most likely to be taken to hospital by police officers and which persons most likely to be admitted. A final objective was to analyze the impact that interacting with PSMD has on police resources in terms of the amount of time police officers spend on mental health related calls for service. Methodology: Logistic regression analysis was used to identify 14 predictors of serious mental health disorders from 41,019 cases obtained from the main Resident Assessment Instrument for Mental Health (RAI-MH) database. The RAI-MH is a comprehensive mental health assessment system that is currently used for all persons admitted into a psychiatric hospital in Ontario. Additional clinical, demographic and contextual items were added after consultation with an advisory committee composed of representatives from hospitals and police services resulting in a pilot version of the interRAI BMHS. The County of Wellington and the city of Guelph were selected as the setting for the pilot that included 4 general hospitals, 1 psychiatric facility and the participation of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) and the Guelph Police Service. After training police officers to use the new form, the interRAI BMHS was pilot tested over a seven month period commencing May 2011. Hospital records were also accessed to determine patient disposition. Logistic regression was used to develop an algorithm to identify the persons with the highest probability of being taken to hospital by police officers, and those persons who were most likely to be admitted. Results: Police officers from the two jurisdictions in Ontario completed a total of 235 interRAI BMHS forms. Chi square analysis revealed the most common reasons why police officers take persons to hospital included the person considering performing a self-injurious act in the past 30 days, and family, and others were concerned the person was at risk for self-injury. Intoxication by drugs or alcohol and having symptoms of psychosis were not significant reasons for police officers to take a person to hospital. The variables most associated with being admitted after being taken to hospital, included indicators of disordered, such as lack of insight into their mental health problems, abnormal thought process, delusions and hallucinations. Overall, although the terminology differed, the same patterns emerged in the pilot study that previous research reported. Police officers tend to focus on dangerousness and public safety, while clinicians are concerned with indicators of disordered thought. Logistic regression analysis revealed that the 14 variable algorithm used to construct the interRAI BMHS was a good predictor of who was most likely to be taken to hospital by police officers, and who was most likely to be admitted. Another important finding was that the reasons why police officers take persons to hospital were not the same as the reasons why persons are subsequently admitted. This suggests the criminal justice, health and mental health systems are not synchronized. The research also revealed that police officers spend a mean time of over three hours overall devoted to calls for service involving PSMD, and a mean time of just over three hours waiting in the ED. Conclusion: The interRAI BMHS provides useful information for both police officers and ED staff regarding the variables significantly associated with serious mental disorder. It will help support police officer and ED decision-making, and it will contribute to enhancing the training provided to police officers and mental health service providers. Additional research and larger sample sizes will help to further refine the instrument. The interRAI BMHS is based on health system data and written in the language of the health system. As such, it has the potential to both enhance the ability of police officers and other mental health service providers to identify indicators of serious mental disorder, and to help synchronize the criminal justice and mental health care systems. *interRAI stands for the international resident assessment instrument, in international collaborative to improve the quality of life of vulverable persons through a seamless comprehensive assessment system.

Background: Police officers are often the first to respond when persons experience a mental health crisis in the community. They must de-escalate volatile situations involving persons with serious mental disorder (PSMD) and bring the person to the attention of either the criminal justice or mental health care system. It is argued that issues such as repeated police contact, excessive emergency department (ED) wait times, and the criminalization of the mentally ill are evidence that the current system lacks the ability to meet the needs of PSMD. Critics have argued the source of the problem is inadequate police training, and insufficient and poorly organized community mental health services. Others claim that the underlying issue is that the current system for responding to PSMD is dysfunctional. The model is based on the concept that the best way to meet the needs of PSMD is through the integration of systems and services which to date, has remained an impossible goal. Given the current system will not be replaced anytime soon, efforts should be directed toward developing innovative ways to make it easier for the systems to work more effectively together. Objectives: The major objective of this dissertation was to develop and pilot a new mental health screening form, the interRAI Brief Mental Health Screener (BMHS)* to enhance the ability of police officers to identify PSMD, and to support their decision-making. A second objective was to develop a model that best predicts which persons are most likely to be taken to hospital by police officers and which persons most likely to be admitted. A final objective was to analyze the impact that interacting with PSMD has on police resources in terms of the amount of time police officers spend on mental health related calls for service. Methodology: Logistic regression analysis was used to identify 14 predictors of serious mental health disorders from 41,019 cases obtained from the main Resident Assessment Instrument for Mental Health (RAI-MH) database. The RAI-MH is a comprehensive mental health assessment system that is currently used for all persons admitted into a psychiatric hospital in Ontario. Additional clinical, demographic and contextual items were added after consultation with an advisory committee composed of representatives from hospitals and police services resulting in a pilot version of the interRAI BMHS. The County of Wellington and the city of Guelph were selected as the setting for the pilot that included 4 general hospitals, 1 psychiatric facility and the participation of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) and the Guelph Police Service. After training police officers to use the new form, the interRAI BMHS was pilot tested over a seven month period commencing May 2011. Hospital records were also accessed to determine patient disposition. Logistic regression was used to develop an algorithm to identify the persons with the highest probability of being taken to hospital by police officers, and those persons who were most likely to be admitted. Results: Police officers from the two jurisdictions in Ontario completed a total of 235 interRAI BMHS forms. Chi square analysis revealed the most common reasons why police officers take persons to hospital included the person considering performing a self-injurious act in the past 30 days, and family, and others were concerned the person was at risk for self-injury. Intoxication by drugs or alcohol and having symptoms of psychosis were not significant reasons for police officers to take a person to hospital. The variables most associated with being admitted after being taken to hospital, included indicators of disordered, such as lack of insight into their mental health problems, abnormal thought process, delusions and hallucinations. Overall, although the terminology differed, the same patterns emerged in the pilot study that previous research reported. Police officers tend to focus on dangerousness and public safety, while clinicians are concerned with indicators of disordered thought. Logistic regression analysis revealed that the 14 variable algorithm used to construct the interRAI BMHS was a good predictor of who was most likely to be taken to hospital by police officers, and who was most likely to be admitted. Another important finding was that the reasons why police officers take persons to hospital were not the same as the reasons why persons are subsequently admitted. This suggests the criminal justice, health and mental health systems are not synchronized. The research also revealed that police officers spend a mean time of over three hours overall devoted to calls for service involving PSMD, and a mean time of just over three hours waiting in the ED. Conclusion: The interRAI BMHS provides useful information for both police officers and ED staff regarding the variables significantly associated with serious mental disorder. It will help support police officer and ED decision-making, and it will contribute to enhancing the training provided to police officers and mental health service providers. Additional research and larger sample sizes will help to further refine the instrument. The interRAI BMHS is based on health system data and written in the language of the health system. As such, it has the potential to both enhance the ability of police officers and other mental health service providers to identify indicators of serious mental disorder, and to help synchronize the criminal justice and mental health care systems. *interRAI stands for the international resident assessment instrument, in international collaborative to improve the quality of life of vulverable persons through a seamless comprehensive assessment system.

No description available.

Dyskalkyli (specifika räknesvårigheter) är en av flera orsaker till matematiksvårigheter. Studier har påvisat samband mellan dyskalkyli och dyslexi och att personer med dyskalkyli har svårt att klara skolmatematiken. Två skilda synsätt förklarar orsaken till dyskalkyli: systemteorin och modulärteorin. Dyscalculia Screener är ett screeningverktyg som bygger på modulärteorin och att dyskalkyli beror på svårigheter med grundläggande antalsuppfattning och ska urskilja personer med dyskalkyli från de som är dåliga på matematik av andra orsaker. Testet innehåller delar som testar reaktionstid (Simple Reaction Time), antalsuppfattning (Dot Enumeration och Numerical Stroop) och aritmetik (Addition och Multiplication). Denna studie undersökte hur svenska barn i årskurs 5 och 6 presterade på testet, för att ge referensdata för svenska förhållanden och undersöka hur väl de engelska normerna fungerar. Studien studerade även samband mellan avkodningsförmåga, av riktiga ord och non-ord (med testet LäSt) och prestation på Dyscalculia Screener samt samband mellan prestation i skolmatematik och resultat på respektive test. Studien innefattade 66 barn, 36 i årskurs 5 och 30 i årskurs 6. Svenska barns resultat skiljde sig till viss del från de engelska normvärdena. De presterade lägre än normvärdena på deltesten Simple Reaction Time och Multiplication. På Dot Enumeration och Numerical Stroop presterade barnen högre. På Addition låg barnen inom normvärdena. Samband mellan avkodningsförmåga och räkneförmåga kunde påvisas, framförallt för avkodning av non-ord. En skillnad i resultat fanns på deltesten Numerical Stroop, Addition och Multiplication mellan de som uppnådde målen i matematik och de som var tveksamma att uppnå eller inte uppnådde målen. / Dyscalculia (specific mathematics disorder) is one, among other causes of mathematical difficulties. Studies have indicated a correlation between dyscalculia and dyslexia and people with dyscalculia have problems managing school mathematics. Two different theories explain the cause of for dyscalculia: the system theory and the modular theory. Dyscalculia Screener is a screening tool based on the modular theory and that dyscalculia is caused by difficulties in basal number sense and should discriminate people with dyscalculia from those who are bad at mathematics for other reasons. The test includes parts that test reaction time (Simple Reaction Time), number sense (Dot Enumeration and Numerical Stroop) and arithmetics (Addition and Multiplication). This study investigated how Swedish children, in year 5 and 6, scored on the test, to get reference data for Swedish relations and see whether the normes from England could be used. The study also investigated correlations between decoding, of real words and non-words (with the test LäSt) and score on Dyscalculia Screener and correlations between ability to manage school mathematics and score on each test. The study included 66 children, 36 in year 5 and 30 in year 6. Swedish children scored different in some ways from the English norms. They scored lower than the norms on the testparts Simple Reaction Time and Multiplication. On Dot Enumeration and Numerical Stroop they scored higher. On Addition, they scored within the norms. A correlation between decoding and counting ability was found, especially for decoding of non-word. A difference in score was seen on the testparts Numerical Stroop, Addition och Multiplication between children that achieved the goals in mathematics and those who were unsure to achieve them or did not.

. / MEDELINSKAS, Valdas. (2007) Stock portfolio management tool for Lithuanian stock market. MBA Graduation Paper. Kaunas: Vilnius University, Kaunas Faculty of Humanities, Department of Informatics. 85 p. S U M M A R Y The theme of the final master‘s degree paper is: “Stock portfolio management tool for Lithuanian stock market”. The purpose of this work is to make individual research about methods used for stock analyze and make project of stock screening tool for Lithuanian market. The main tasks discussed in the paper are: description of Lithuanian stock market structure and stock features, usage of fundamental analysis rates ant technical analysis indicators for stock research, usage of fundamental and technical analysis indicators for stock screening tool creation. The work consists of four major parts: theoretical, analysis, project and program parts. In the theoretical part there is explanation of Lithuanian stock market structure, stocks, fundamental and technical indicators features. In the analysis part there is made research about fundamental and technical analysis indicators wish can be found for Lithuanian stocks today. Also the comparison USA screeners where made in wish characteristics and functions where depict. In the project part the requirements for the screener where specified and demo tool was produced. In the program part the demo version of screener for Lithuanian stock market was made. The realization of the project will make great interest in stock market... [to full text]

archives@tulane.edu / Early social, emotional, and behavioral skills have been shown to be predictive of academic achievement and future success. With early intervention, effects of skill deficits can be mitigated (Albers, Glover & Kratochwill, 2007). However, less than half of the 10% to 20% of students who are thought to be at-risk receive the interventions they need (Bradshaw et al., 2008; Gresham, 2007). Schools are uniquely positioned to identify and provide interventions for students. As a result, administrators have begun to shift toward data-based decision-making models that include universal screeners, as initial steps for identifying and providing interventions for at-risk students. Selection of a screener is determined by the availability of resources, student demographics, and predictive validity. The purpose of this study was to investigate the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, a social, emotional, and behavioral screener. Specifically, the study investigated the relationship between at-risk scores and behavior problems in schools. Study participants are 433 students in grades K to 4 attending an elementary charter school serving a predominantly low-income African American student body. Beginning-of-the year SDQ total difficulty scores and end-of-the year ODRs were analyzed using both correlational and regression analyses, to establish relationship and predictive ability of the screener. Both correlational and regression analyses confirmed a statistically significant relationship between SDQ total difficulty scores and end-of-the year ODRs. Therefore, universal screening provides schools with valuable baseline information about student social, emotional and behavioral functioning. / 1 / Raquel Gutierrez

Working memory (WM) has been closely linked to learning and achievement in children (Gathercole et al., 2004). The Forchelli Following Directions Task (FFDT) is a 15-item group-administered screener designed to assess working memory ability in school-aged children. The FFDT was developed to address the need for early identification of children with working memory difficulty. It specifically focuses on the need for easily administered and ecologically valid assessment. The FFDT was developed based on tasks cited in research to assess WM. The measure was developed across three iterations after receiving continual review from research experts in working memory and a group of three elementary school teachers. It also was piloted by three elementary school children to assess group-administration considerations. Participants in the validation study were 70 elementary school students 5 to 10 years of age spanning kindergarten to third grade were recruited from schools in the greater Philadelphia area. Participants were administered the group-administered working memory screener and completed individually administered measures of working memory, the WISC-IV Digit Span and Spatial Span, for comparison. Parents and teachers also completed behavior rating scales (i.e., BRIEF) measuring working memory. The FFDT demonstrated a sufficient Alpha's coefficient, indicating internal consistency. Significant Pearson correlations were found between existing measures of WM and the FFDT, indicating that the FFDT measures WM ability to a similar extent. The FFDT demonstrated good sensitivity to age and grade, as well. Further, the results of a ROC analysis comparing the identification of WM difficulty on the FFDT to existing measures of WM demonstrated a low to moderate effect. Overall, results indicate that the FFDT exhibited good reliability and validity. The anecdotal support of elementary school teachers and time efficiency of the task compared to existing WM measures also suggests good ecological validity. This study also demonstrated the utility of the FDDT in populations within a Response to Intervention (RtI) framework. Further research will be challenged to investigate the FFDT further scrutinize the construct validity and demonstrate significance in a larger, more representative sample of students. / School Psychology

Internalizing disorders, specifically depression and anxiety, affect up to 18% and 33% of youth, respectively (Costello, Egger, & Angold, 2005b). Schools have become a major provider of mental health services to children, primarily in attempts to overcome barriers to receiving community services (Farmer, Burns, Philip, Angold, & Costello, 2003). As such, it is important that schools have effective mechanisms in place to accurately identify students who may be in need of such services. The current study examined the accuracy of one such method, educator nominations (including from both teachers and school-based mental health professionals) in identifying students who self-report elevated levels of anxiety and/or depression. Participants were 238 fourth and fifth grade students within a large, urban school district in a southeastern state; 26 classroom teachers of these youth; and 7 mental health professionals who served the two schools that the student participants attended. Regarding sensitivity, teachers identified 40.74% and 50% of students who repeatedly reported clinically elevated levels of anxiety and depression, respectively. Teachers falsely identified as symptomatic 17.54% and 16.2% of students with typical levels of anxiety and depression, respectively. As a team, school-based mental health professionals identified 66.67% of students with elevated anxiety symptoms, and 45.45% of children who self-reported depressive symptoms. The team misidentified 31% and 35% of students as depressed and anxious, respectively. Individual school-based mental health professionals were less accurate (as compared to ix the team as a whole) in identifying students who self-reported symptoms of depression. Taken together, findings suggest educators can accurately identify approximately half to two-thirds of youth who experience clinical levels of anxiety and children, but substantial misidentification rates underscore the need for further follow-up assessment of students identified during educational nomination procedures. Implications for practice, contributions to the literature, and future directions for research are discussed.