Background. A person-centered approach focusing on the interaction of an individual's temperament-character-life events is essential in the path of individuals' well-being. In this context, three character traits, Self-directedness (e.g., self-acceptance, self-control, goal-directed behavior), Cooperativeness (e.g., social affiliation, social tolerance, empathy and helpfulness) and Self-transce...

Aim We examined the association between number of words used at age 2.5 years and deficits in intellectual functioning 7 years, 549 children, whether such is confirmed by parental concern about child's development. Methods Parental reports how many their children were analysed for to (assessed with Wechsler Intelligence Scale Children – Fourth Edition,WISC-IV) using linear regression, adjusting...

BACKGROUND There is growing recognition that violence and other forms of conduct problems increase during adolescence. The exact relationship between biological, psychological, and social variables has not been defined yet. OBJECTIVES To analyze whether Intelligence Quotients (IQS), neurological history, child behavioral problems, executive functions, and soft neurological signs (SNS) can dif...

OBJECTIVE There is much concern about potential neurodevelopmental impairment after neonatal corticosteroid treatment for chronic lung disease. Dexamethasone is the corticosteroid most often used in this clinical setting, and it has been shown to impair cortical growth among preterm infants. This study evaluated long-term effects of prematurity itself and of neonatal hydrocortisone treatment on...

BACKGROUND We previously reported associations between organochlorines and behaviors related to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder among boys and girls at 8 years of age using a teacher's rating scale for a birth cohort in New Bedford, Massachusetts (USA). OBJECTIVES Our goal was to corroborate these findings using neuropsychological measures of inattentive and impulsive behaviors. ME...

PURPOSE The aim of this study is to compare the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children® - fourth edition IV (WISC IV) intellectual profile of two groups of children with specific learning disorder, a group of bilingual children and a group of monolingual Italian children, in order to identify possible significant differences between them. PATIENTS AND METHODS A group of 48 bilingual childre...

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of prenatal and postnatal malnutrition on the intellectual functioning of early school-aged children. We followed the offspring of women who had participated in a trial of prenatal supplementation with different combinations of micronutrients and who remained resident in the study field. We measured their intellectual functioning using the Wechsl...