Movement Disorders Rating Scale for Children Aged 0-3 years: A Revision Study Design.

Background: Movement Disorders - Childhood Rating Scale (MD-CRS 0-3) is a tool aimed to evaluate movement disorders in the first 3 years of life; however, with the experience gained in 10 years clinical practice, it has been possible, and necessary, to improve the characterization of the scale defining age-appropriate tasks according to age time windows and moving the MD severity from a three-point to a five-point scoring system. By using the scale in our clinical practice and in research, we realized that it was necessary to have more quantitative specifications, allowing a more precise scoring and a better definition of the psychometric properties. This study is a measurement-focused study of recorded video sessions and of video sessions which were carried out in in- and out-patient settings of IRCCS Fondazione Stella Maris aiming to revise the MD-CRS 0-3 and created the MD-CRS 0-3 R to promote and increase its use by improving its structure and items.

Towards universal early screening for cerebral palsy: a roadmap for automated General Movements Assessment.

Unlabelled: Cerebral palsy (CP) is the most common lifelong physical disability, affecting millions globally. Early detection and intervention are crucial for improving outcomes, yet many children are diagnosed late. The General Movements Assessment (GMA) is a highly accurate clinical tool for detecting infants at high probability of CP, but access to health professionals trained in the GMA limits its use.

Learning Developmental Age From 3D Infant Kinetics Using Adaptive Graph Neural Networks.

Reliable methods for the neurodevelopmental assessment of infants are essential for early detection of problems that may need prompt interventions. Spontaneous motor activity, or 'kinetics', is shown to provide a powerful surrogate measure of upcoming neurodevelopment. However, its assessment is by and large qualitative and subjective, focusing on visually identified, age-specific gestures.

Motherese Directed at Prelinguistic Infants at Risk for Neurological Disorders: An Exploratory Study.

To investigate how a high risk for infant neurological impairment affects the quality of infant verbal interactions, and in particular properties of infant-directed speech, spontaneous interactions between 14 mothers and their 4.5-month-old infants at high risk for neurological disorders (7 female) were recorded and acoustically compared with those of 14 dyads with typically developing infants (8 female). Mothers of at-risk infants had proportionally less voicing, and the proportion of voicing decreased with increasing severity of the infants' long-term outcome.

Cortical Deafness in Children: Scoping Review and Case Report of a Bilateral Perinatal Stroke.

BackgroundPersistent cortical deafness in the pediatric population is rarely reported, and there is limited information on its implications for early intervention.ObjectivesThis study aims to (1) conduct a scoping review on pediatric cortical deafness and (2) present a case report of a 7-year-old girl with left unilateral spastic cerebral palsy and cortical deafness resulting from presumed perinatal bilateral stroke.MethodsA search of PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science identified 407 manuscripts.

Dysregulation Profile in Preschoolers with Autism Spectrum Disorder: An Italian Multi-Center Perspective.

: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a lifelong neurodevelopmental condition characterized by social communication impairments and repetitive behaviors. Recent reports show that one in thirty-six 8-year-old children are autistic, signifying a considerable public health concern. According to previous studies, emotional dysregulation (ED) affects 50-60% of individuals with ASD and includes symptoms such as poor emotional control, heightened reactivity, and a low frustration tolerance.

Diagnostic accuracy of neonatal structural MRI scores to predict 6-year motor outcomes of children born very preterm.

Aims: This study aimed to (1) evaluate associations between Early and Term structural MRI (sMRI) brain abnormality scores and adverse motor outcomes at 6-years corrected age (CA), (2) determine their diagnostic accuracy in predicting adverse motor outcomes and cerebral palsy (CP) at 6-years CA.

Methods: Infants born < 31-weeks gestational age (GA) returning for 6-year follow-up were included. Early and Term sMRI were scored using a validated method, deriving white matter, cortical grey matter, deep grey matter, cerebellar and global brain abnormality scores (GBAS).

Automated detection of abnormal general movements from pressure and positional information in hospitalized infants.

Background: Prechtl's general movements assessment (GMA) allows visual recognition of movement patterns that, when abnormal (cramped synchronized, or CS), have very high sensitivity in predicting later neuromotor disorders; however, training requirements and subjective perceptions from some clinicians may hinder universal adoption of the GMA in the newborn period.

Methods: To address this, we used a three-phased approach to design a preliminary and clinically-oriented approach to automated CS GMA detection. 335 hospitalized infants were dually recorded on video and a pressure-sensor mat that collected time, spatial, and pressure data.

Sensitivity and specificity of the Neonatal Visual Assessment to predict motor and cognitive outcomes in infants born very preterm.

Background: Very preterm infants are at increased risk of neurodevelopmental impairments. The Neonatal Visual Assessment (NVA) assesses visual function and outcomes and has been used to assess early neurodevelopmental outcomes. This study aimed to compare NVA results of very preterm and term-born infants and to calculate the sensitivity and specificity of the NVA at term equivalent age (TEA) and three months corrected age (CA) to predict motor and cognitive outcomes at 12 months CA in very preterm infants.

Correlation between Early Visual Functions and Cognitive Outcome in Infants at Risk for Cerebral Palsy or Other Neurodevelopmental Disorders: A Systematic Review.

Early key visual skills, such as tracking objects, sustaining gaze, and shifting attention, rapidly develop within the first 6 months of infant life. These abilities play a significant role in the development of cognitive functions but are frequently compromised in infants at risk of developing neurodevelopmental disorders. This systematic review evaluates the potential of early vision function in the prediction of cognition at or above 12 months.

Implementation of Listening Visits with Parents of Preterm Infants in an Italian Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

Purpose: To assess the feasibility of implementing Listening Visits (LV) in an Italian neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).

Study Design And Methods: This feasibility implementation of LV included empathic listening and problem-solving sessions provided by a psychologist to 26 parents of hospitalized preterm newborns. Using the RE-AIM implementation framework, three facets of feasibility were assessed: reach, adoption, and implementation.

Changes Induced by Early Hand-Arm Bimanual Intensive Therapy Including Lower Extremities in Young Children With Unilateral Cerebral Palsy: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Intensive interventions are provided to young children with unilateral cerebral palsy (UCP), classically focused on the upper extremity despite the frequent impairment of gross motor function. Hand-Arm Bimanual Intensive Therapy Including Lower Extremities (HABIT-ILE) effectively improves manual dexterity and gross motor function in school-aged children.

Objective: To verify if HABIT-ILE would improve manual abilities in young children with UCP more than usual motor activity.

Insights on action observation and imitation abilities in children with Developmental Coordination Disorder and typically developing children.

Background: Children with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) face difficulties in motor learning. Action observation and imitation are strategies frequently used to teach motor skills.

Aims: (1) To study action observation and imitation abilities in children with DCD compared with typically developing peers with a new protocol.

Harnessing neuroplasticity to improve motor performance in infants with cerebral palsy: a study protocol for the GAME randomised controlled trial.

Introduction: Cerebral palsy (CP) is the most common physical disability of childhood worldwide. Historically the diagnosis was made between 12 and 24 months, meaning data about effective early interventions to improve motor outcomes are scant. In high-income countries, two in three children will walk.

Robot-assisted rehabilitation for children with neurological disabilities: Results of the Italian consensus conference CICERONE.

Background: The use of robotic technologies in pediatric rehabilitation has seen a large increase, but with a lack of a comprehensive framework about their effectiveness.

Objective: An Italian Consensus Conference has been promoted to develop recommendations on these technologies: definitions and classification criteria of devices, indications and limits of their use in neurological diseases, theoretical models, ethical and legal implications. In this paper, we present the results for the pediatric age.

Lung ultrasound in young children with neurological impairment: A proposed integrative clinical tool for deaeration-detection related to feeding.

Infants and children with neurological impairment, such as cerebral palsy (CP), often experience abnormal ingestion functions, including oropharyngeal dysphagia and gastroesophageal reflux disease, which led to aspiration-related respiratory complications, morbidity, hospitalization, or death. There is a lack of evidence-based, repeatable, infant-friendly instrumental procedures to assess aspiration-risk in infants with CP or other neurological disorders, with also a lack of clinical assessment measures to support the use of more invasive diagnostic techniques. To this purpose, in the current study we explore the feasibility of lung ultrasound (LUS), to assess lung deaeration possibly related to aspiration during meal, in a cohort of 35 subjects affected by CP or other encephalopathies, and 10 controls in the same age-range.

Infant massage and brain maturation measured using EEG: A randomised controlled trial.

Background: Very preterm (VPT) infants develop adverse neurological sequelae from early exposure of the immature brain to the extrauterine environment.

Aims: To determine the effects of infant massage on brain maturation in low-risk VPT infants.

Study Design: A randomised controlled trial of VPT infants, who received standard care or daily massage therapy, administered by the mother, from 34 weeks' to 40 weeks' corrected age (CA).

Asymmetry in sleep spindles and motor outcome in infants with unilateral brain injury.

Aim: To determine whether interhemispheric difference in sleep spindles in infants with perinatal unilateral brain injury could link to a pathological network reorganization that underpins the development of unilateral cerebral palsy (CP).

Method: This was a multicentre retrospective study of 40 infants (19 females, 21 males) with unilateral brain injury. Sleep spindles were detected and quantified with an automated algorithm from electroencephalograph records performed at 2 months to 5 months of age.

Clinimetric properties of visuo-perceptual and visuo-cognitive assessment tools used for children with cerebral visual impairment and cerebral palsy or developmental delay: a systematic review.

Purpose: The aim of this systematic review is to evaluate the psychometrics and clinical utility of visuo-perceptual and visuo-cognitive assessment tools in children with cerebral visual impairment (CVI) and cerebral palsy (CP) or neurodevelopmental delay (DD).

Materials And Methods: Five databases (PubMed, EMBASE, SCOPUS, CINAHL, and Cochrane Database) were comprehensively searched from 1970 till June 2021. The PRISMA checklist was utilised to report on the process of selecting eligible papers.

Neural Changes Induced by a Speech Motor Treatment in Childhood Apraxia of Speech: A Case Series.

We report a case series of children with childhood apraxia of speech, by describing behavioral and white matter microstructural changes following 2 different treatment approaches.Five children with childhood apraxia of speech were assigned to a motor speech treatment (PROMPT) and 5 to a language, nonspeech oral motor treatment. Speech assessment and brain MRI were performed pre- and post-treatment.

COpenhagen Neuroplastic TRaining Against Contractures in Toddlers (CONTRACT): protocol of an open-label randomised clinical trial with blinded assessment for prevention of contractures in infants with high risk of cerebral palsy.

Introduction: Contractures are frequent causes of reduced mobility in children with cerebral palsy (CP) already at the age of 2-3 years. Reduced muscle use and muscle growth have been suggested as key factors in the development of contractures, suggesting that effective early prevention may have to involve stimuli that can facilitate muscle growth before the age of 1 year. The present study protocol was developed to assess the effectiveness of an early multicomponent intervention, CONTRACT, involving family-oriented and supervised home-based training, diet and electrical muscle stimulation directed at facilitating muscle growth and thus reduce the risk of contractures in children at high risk of CP compared with standard care.

Early clinical and MRI biomarkers of cognitive and motor outcomes in very preterm born infants.

Background: This study aimed to identify which MRI and clinical assessments, alone or in combination, from (i) early (32 weeks postmenstrual age, PMA), (ii) term equivalent age (TEA) and (iii) 3 months corrected age (CA) are associated with motor or cognitive outcomes at 2 years CA in infants born <31 weeks gestation.

Methods: Prospective cohort study of 98 infants who underwent early and TEA MRI (n = 59 males; median birth gestational age 28 + 5 weeks). Hammersmith Neonatal Neurological Examination (HNNE), NICU Neonatal Neurobehavioural Scale and General Movements Assessment (GMs) were performed early and at TEA.

Adaptive Working Memory Training Can Improve Executive Functioning and Visuo-Spatial Skills in Children With Pre-term Spastic Diplegia.

Pre-term spastic diplegia (pSD) due to periventricular leukomalacia is a form of cerebral palsy in which weaknesses in executive functions are reported beyond the core visuo-spatial deficits. The study aimed at improving executive functioning and visuo-spatial skills with an evidence-based training focused on working memory in children with pSD. The intervention study followed a stepped wedge design.