RESUMEN

OBJECTIVE: This article critically assesses and reviews analyses derived from three cycles of the Canadian Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect (CIS) published between 2001 and October 2011. METHODS: Articles were retrieved from the Public Health Agency of Canada's data request records, which tracked database access and ensuing publications. The included articles were reviewed and appraised independently by the authors. SYNTHESIS: Overall, 37 peer-reviewed articles using CIS data were included in the review. These articles revealed an increased likelihood of substantiation or placement if investigations 1) uncovered the presence of emotional or physical harm in a child, 2) involved older children, 3) identified the presence of risk indicators in caregivers, or 4) documented unstable or unsafe housing. A similar proportion of articles used a descriptive or multivariate approach to analyze CIS data, and strengths and limitations were identified. CONCLUSION: Researchers have analyzed and interpreted the CIS extensively, although several issues are understudied - such as neglect and emotional maltreatment - especially using multivariate approaches. We hope this review will contribute to helping address gaps in the CIS literature.

Asunto(s)

RESUMEN

OBJECTIVES: This article reviews research, policy and programming in Australia, Canada and the US on the child welfare response to EDV. METHOD: The review draws on searches of standard research databases, interviews with researchers and practitioners, and the authors' own research. RESULTS: Although EDV is underreported, across studies 7% to 23% of youths in general population surveys experienced EDV, 36-39% of youth in DV cases have witnessed the violence, and 45-46% of primary caregivers in child maltreatment investigations have experienced DV. Mandatory reporting can increase the number of cases that come to the attention of child welfare, but without resources for training and programming can lead to inappropriate reports, lack of referral for further assessment, and strains on the child welfare system. Improving the child welfare response to EDV can include collaboration between child welfare workers and DV advocates; increased training on screening for DV; new protocols on DV; and dedicated DV staffing within child welfare agencies. In recent years, policy and program attention to EDV has also been embedded within broader national efforts to protect children from violence and maltreatment. Differential response models that eschew investigation in favor of assessment and service delivery hold promise for families with DV. CONCLUSIONS: Empirical data are limited, but current research and practice experience suggest that child welfare agencies seeking to improve the response to EDV should collaborate with other disciplines involved with preventing and responding to DV, seek resources to support training and programming, consider methods that avoid stigmatizing parents, and build in a program evaluation component to increase knowledge about effective practice.

Asunto(s)

RESUMEN

This study investigated interhemispheric transfer in ten normal, four anterior-, and four totally-split-brain individuals, through measures of manual asynchrony and bimanually-recorded crossed-uncrossed difference (CUD). The CUD relied on the difference between crossed and uncrossed responses whereas the asynchrony measure relied on the reaction time difference between the two responding hands. Manipulations of sensory and attentional factors were assessed for both measures. We found a normal CUD (3.8 ms) along with an exacerbated and more variable asynchrony for partial split-brain individuals (40.8 ms) compared to normal individuals (CUD: 0.4 ms, asynchrony: 13.8 ms). In turn, the CUD of total split-brain individuals (20.4 ms) was larger than that of partial split-brain and normal individuals. Also, the asynchrony of total split-brain individuals (57.6 ms) was larger and more variable than that of normal individuals, and more variable than that of partial split-brain individuals. We interpret these results as behavioural evidence of independent mechanisms underlying the CUD and bimanual synchronization, as well as evidence of the joint involvement of both the anterior and the posterior portions of the corpus callosum in bimanual coordination.

Asunto(s)

RESUMEN

Research on split-brain individuals started to flourish approximately 70 years ago and has since then significantly contributed to our understanding of hemispheric specialization. This overview aims to capture the essential of its progress. Amongst other things, the disconnection syndrome is exposed through a description of its manifestations on sensory, motor, and cognitive functions. Ground work and recent studies on split-brain individuals are integrated. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. For further resources related to this article, please visit the WIREs website.

RESUMEN

This study investigated the redundant target effect (RTE) in partial split-brain (anterior section sparing the splenium), total split-brain, and neurologically intact individuals. All completed an RTE protocol in which targets were presented on the midline or in an inter- or intrahemispheric manner. Stimuli of different nature (luminance, equiluminant colour, and global motion) were used separately in three experiments in order to investigate the contribution of subcortical versus cortical pathways. Despite the preservation of the splenium (the portion of the corpus callosum assumed to transfer visual information), partial split-brain individuals showed an enhanced RTE pattern as compared to neurologically intact individuals. Total split-brain individuals showed a tendency toward larger RTEs with the luminance stimuli than with the colour and motion stimuli, whereas this was not the case for partial split-brain individuals, suggesting a contribution of the posterior portion of the corpus callosum in the RTE. It is therefore likely that both sensory and motor processes contribute to the enhanced RTE in split-brain individuals.

Asunto(s)

RESUMEN

There are important developmental changes occurring during infancy in visual cortical structures that underlie higher-order perceptual abilities. Using high-density electrophysiological recording techniques, the present study aimed to examine the development of visual mechanisms, during the first year of life, associated with texture segregation. Forty-two normal full term infants were tested at 1, 3, 6 or 12 months of age. Visual-evoked potentials to low-level stimuli varying in orientation (oriVEP) and higher-level textured stimuli (texVEP) were recorded from 128 scalp electrodes. Difference potentials were obtained to extract the VEP component associated specifically with texture segregation (tsVEP). Results show a clear developmental pattern regarding amplitude, latency and scalp distribution of tsVEP, which appears at around 3 months but does not reach maturity by 12 months of age. A reduction in latency is particularly evident between 3 and 6 months, whereas amplitude shows a gradual increase with a marked increment between 3 and 6 months for low-level orientation stimuli and between 6 and 12 months for higher-level textured stimuli. These developmental patterns are attributed to neural maturational processes such as myelination and synaptogenesis. The differential developmental rates can be explained by delayed maturational processes of brain regions involved in more complex visual processing.

Asunto(s)

RESUMEN

Visual evoked potentials (VEPs) were recorded to textures segregated by gradients in orientation or motion. Recordings were obtained in traumatic brain-injured (TBI) subjects and in normal controls. We analyzed both the low-level VEPs (llVEPs) evoked by homogenous stimuli, as well as the components associated with texture segregation (tsVEP) obtained through an appropriate linear combination. Our results suggest that the tsVEP, presumably higher up in the visual processing chain than the llVEP, is sensitive to TBI and can reveal further information as to the nature of possible information processing deficits after TBI. It could also help quantify cortical damage that is not revealed with more standard clinical tools.

Asunto(s)