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The purpose of this study was to examine the utility of the Dean-Woodcock Sensory Motor Battery (DWSMB) as a diagnostic tool for identifying individuals with and without closed-head injury, comparing the predictive power of a two- and three-factor representation (DWSMB; Dean & Woodcock, 2003). The current study's major research questions focused on the predictive utility of the structure of the DWSMB. The simplified two-factor model (Total Sensory and Total Motor), based on the DWSMB manual (Dean & Woodcock), was compared to a three-factor theoretical model (Basic Sensory, Higher Sensory and Motor Functions) (R.S.Dean, personal communication, March 29, 2006) for this study. Logistic Regression was used to analyze the data. Results from this study demonstrate that when using the two-factor solution, the overall correct prediction of group membership was 73.8 % (59.4% for CHI and 85.2% for normals). The Total Motor Impairment variable was the only meaningful predictor. The results from the three-factor solution show an 84.2 % overall correct prediction rate (71.4 % for CHI and 95.1 % for normals). The significant contributors for identifying CHI when using the three-factor model included Basic Sensory and Motor Functions. Everything favors the three-factor model as being more precise. All indicators of prediction accuracy and goodness of fit favored the three-factor model. Based on these results, the DWSMB was determined to be a good screening instrument for identifying children in school contexts who should be referred for a neuropsychological examination to confirm pre-existing CHI that interfere with school functioning. / Department of Educational Psychology

This cross-sectional study evaluated the trend in sensory and motor skill development for an archival dataset used in the standardization of the Dean-Woodcock Sensory Motor Battery (D-WSMB). Measures from the D-WSMB were organized into three broad categories according to a factor model identified by Davis, Finch, Dean and Woodcock (2006). Three primary hypotheses were evaluated: a confirmatory factor analysis would support the Davis et al. model for the current dataset, performance on sensory and motor tasks would exhibit a pattern of development and decline across age levels, and gender would not be a significant factor in variability in performance. CFA results indicated the Davis et al. factor model was a poor fit for the current dataset but that each measure loaded significantly on the factor to which it was assigned. Curve estimation identified a significant quadratic relationship between age and performance on each of the skill categories. A significant age and gender interaction was noted for each skill category. The statistically poor fit of the Davis et al. factor model was thought to be due to potential correlations between factors and between measures within the factors, although further research is needed to evaluate the impact of these relationships on model fit. Results confirmed the hypothesis that sensory and motor skill exhibit a pattern of development and decline across age levels, which can guide the interpretation of performance in a clinical setting. Further research is needed on the nature of the age and gender interaction to clarify the impact on performance on measures of sensory and motor skills. In an addendum to this study, performance on individual measures of the D-WSMB was plotted to provide further guidance in the interpretation of results in clinical settings. / Department of Educational Psychology

The present study investigated the relationship between sensory/motor skills and cognitive abilities in psychiatric and neurologically impaired patients to determine how sensory/motor skills are associated with cognitive abilities. Previous research has demonstrated a significant relationship between performance on sensory/motor tasks and cognition but has failed to examine how well sensory/motor skills can predict specific cognitive performance. Because brain functioning is hierarchical with simpler processes being foundational to the development of more complex functions, it is likely sensory/motor skills can aid in the prediction of specific cognitive abilities. If this is true, then investigation of the relationship between sensory/motor performance and cognition should provide insight into the role of sensory/motor skills in the Dean-Woodcock Cognitive Neuropsychology Model.This study examined the relationship between scores on the Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Cognitive Ability - Revised (WJ-R COG) and scores on the Dean-Woodcock Sensory and Motor Battery (D-WSMB). Participants included 458 patients referred for neuropsychological consultation with neurological and/or psychiatric diagnoses. Results indicated a significant correlation among cognitive scores and sensory/motor scores. Moreover, factor analysis revealed 7 overall factors that account for approximately 65% of the variance. These factors were identified as being thinking ability and processing speed, subcortical functioning, verbal working memory, peripheral processes, tactile kinesthetic thinking (Gtk), visual processing, and simple sensory/motor.Integration of sensory/motor factors into the Dean-Woodcock Cognitive Neuropsychology Model revealed the significant role sensory/motor performance plays in predicting higher-order cognitive abilities. From the analysis it appeared that certain sensory/motor functions were significant contributors to the prediction of specific cognitive abilities. That is, subcortical functioning aided in the prediction of all measured areas of cognition; visual processing contributed to visual-spatial thinking, novel reasoning, and crystallized knowledge; tactile-kinesthetic thinking helped predict visual-spatial thinking, auditory processing, and crystallized knowledge; and simple sensory/motor functioning aided in the explanation of long-term storage-retrieval.These results offer a beginning point for further investigation into the relationship between specific sensory/motor skills and cognitive abilities. Research in this area can provide further insight into the functional organization of the brain and offer application to cognitive outcome in rehabilitation as well as preschool screening. / Department of Educational Psychology

Given the broad public health concern, lack of reliability of diagnosis across providers and substantial resources needed to support individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder, the current study serves to contribute to the field in informing the contexts of both research and clinical service. The utility of a standardized sensory-motor battery was investigated in regards to its ability (1) to determine what, if any, differences exist between ASD diagnoses or subgroups in both sensory functioning and motor functioning; and (2) to determine whether such discrepancies, if they exist, are capable of differentiating groups. Results from the quadratic discriminant analysis demonstrated that the factor scores derived from the Dean-Woodcock Sensory-Motor Battery significantly differentiated the ASD and nonclinical comparison groups. Factor 1 (Simple Sensory Skills) exhibited the strongest relationship, followed by Factor 2 (Cortical Motor and Complex Sensory Skills), then Factor 3 (Subcortical Motor Tasks and Auditory/Visual Acuity Skills). Findings from the study lend initial evidence of the use of the DWSMB as a potential measure to include within the two-stage diagnostic process for ASD. Use of the DWSMB as a screening measure may facilitate access to early intervention services given the primitive nature of sensory-motor tasks. In addition, the availability of the DWSMB as a standardized measure of sensory and motor functioning may promote increased sensitivity and specificity among diagnostic providers thus improving outcomes of individuals with ASD who can access services more readily with earlier, more reliable diagnoses. / Access to thesis permanently restricted to Ball State community only. / Department of Educational Psychology

In this thesis sensorimotor integration in the human spinal cord was investigated in the intact (Chapters 2 and 3) and injured nervous systems (Chapter 4-stroke; Chapter 5-spinal cord injury (SCI)). In Chapter 2, I characterized a short-latency reflex pathway between sensory receptors of the lower leg and the erector spinae (ES) muscles of the lower back that may play a role in the maintenance of posture and balance. The ES reflexes were evoked bilaterally by taps applied to the Achilles tendon and were modulated by task. Furthermore, these reflexes involved a larger contribution from cutaneous receptors in the lower limb, rather than muscle spindles. In Chapter 3, I investigated changes in reflex transmission along the H-reflex pathway throughout 10 s trains of neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) using physiologically relevant frequencies (5-20 Hz) and during functionally relevant tasks (sitting and standing) and background contraction amplitudes (up to 20% MVC). The results of this study revealed strong post-activation depression of reflex amplitudes, followed by significant recovery during the stimulation, both of which were influenced by stimulation frequency and background contraction amplitude, but not task. During 10 Hz stimulation, reflex amplitudes showed complete recovery (i.e. back to their initial values), and at times, complete recovery occurred by the third reflex in the train. These results demonstrate that transmission along the H-reflex pathway is modulated continuously during periods of repetitive input. In Chapters 4 and 5, I studied the extent to which a novel stimulation protocol that incorporated wide pulse widths (1 ms) and high frequencies (up to 100 Hz) (wide-pulse NMES; WP-NMES), could enhance electrically-evoked contractions through a central contribution in individuals with stroke or SCI. This central effect arises from the electrical activation of sensory axons, which in turn, reflexively recruit motoneurons in the spinal cord. After stroke, contractions evoked by WP-NMES were larger in the paretic arm than the non-paretic arm. After SCI, transmission along the H-reflex pathway was observed throughout trains of WP-NMES; direct evidence of a central contribution. These results suggest that maximizing the central contribution during WP-NMES may be useful for maintaining muscle quality after neurological injury.

Thesis (D. Music)--Northwestern University, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 132-136).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2008. / Committee Chair: Steve M. Potter; Committee Member: Eric Schumacher; Committee Member: Robert J. Butera; Committee Member: Stephan P. DeWeerth; Committee Member: Thomas D. DeMarse.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of California, San Diego, 2008. / Title from first page of PDF file (viewed September 24, 2008). Available via ProQuest Digital Dissertations. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (p. 133-135).

Thesis (Ph. D)--Northeastern University, 2008. / Title from title page (viewed March 25, 2009). Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Dept. of Psychology. Includes bibliographical references (p. 154-161).