Published papers

Pitch discrimination is the ability to distinguish differences in pitch and it is important for playing musical instruments and listening to music. However, owing to the limited verbal abilities of young children, not much is known about developmental changes in pitch discrimination during childhood. Therefore, the present study examined pitchdiscrimination abilities in preschool and early elementary school children using non-verbal responses. It was found that an ability to recognize the same pitch improved among preschoolers (4-5 years) and kindergarteners (5-6 years), while high-low pitch discrimination improved between first- and second-graders. In addition, musical experience improved pitchdiscrimination performance, but only among second-graders. These results suggest that the development of pitch discrimination during childhood involves both gradual natural acquisition and continuous musical experiences.

Medication effects in children with ADHD are clinically assessed based on behavioral observation. Since the medication also possibly affects academic performance, the present study examined school grades before and after medication. Thirty-nine children with ADHD participated in this study who were continuously treated with medications. Their official school grades were collected and analyzed before and after medication. The grades were collected from primary school children. After medication, primary school children with ADHD showed significant improvement of school grades (relating to interest, willingness, and attitude) in Japanese, mathematics, and physical education. They did not show any change in other subjects. ADHD medication helped the primary school children to have a positive attitude towards learning, resulting in positive evaluation from the teacher and improvement of academic performance.

  Objective: The present study investigated motor skills in children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and its influence on their choices of action, which provided basic findings for prevention of unintentional injury in their living conditions. Methods: A case-control study was performed with 51 typically developing (TD) children and 35 children with ADHD. Their motor skills were evaluated by The Movement Assessment Battery for Children—Second Edition (MABC-2). We conducted an experimental task regarding the choices of action, in which the subjects were asked to pass through the rope by either stepping over or passing under it. We compared the scores of the MABC-2 and the performance in the experimental task among the subject groups, then identified the factors which would affect their choices of action. Results: Children with ADHD showed lower performance on their total MABC-2 score than did the TD children. In particular, their ball and gross motor skill performances were impaired compared with those of the TD children. In the experimental task, children with ADHD tried to pass under the rope set at a low height while the TD children stepped over the rope at the same level. The height of the rope that subjects chose to pass under was predicted by the attention performance of the subjects, but not by their motor skill performance. Conclusions: Japanese children with ADHD had impaired gross motor skills as well as difficulties in item-based motor skills. Moreover, their choices of action seemed inefficient, which was affected by severe inattention toward both the environment and their body schema. Thus, we should consider attention performance as well as motor skill performance in prevention of unintentional injuries.

AbstractThis study aimed to reveal how the COVID-19 stay-at-home period has affected the quality of life (QOL) of children with neurodevelopmental disorders and their parents and to identify possible factors that enabled them to maintain their QOL. We enrolled 136 school-aged children (intellectual quotient ≥ 50) and their parents and administered QOL questionnaires to assess the maladaptive behavior of the children; depression, anxiety, and stress of the parents; and activities of their daily lives. The relationship between their QOL and clinical features was examined. The decrease in QOL of children and parents was associated with the mother’s limited job flexibility. Decreased QOL was also associated with changes in the sleep rhythms of the children. Maladaptive behaviors in children were associated with parental stress. However, maintained QOL of some families who faced these same conditions of job stress and sleep disorders was associated with less parental stress, less parental depression and anxiety, and milder maladaptive behavior in children. Both mothers with limited job flexibility and changes in the sleep rhythm of children were associated with reduced QOL of children and their parents. Low parental stress was associated with decreased maladaptive behavior in children and with maintained QOL of the family.