Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a lifelong neurological condition that profoundly impacts individuals throughout their lives. In special secondary education, autistic youth frequently receive...Show moreAutism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a lifelong neurological condition that profoundly impacts individuals throughout their lives. In special secondary education, autistic youth frequently receive inaccurate post-secondary destinations due to a deficit of knowledge and guidelines for assessing factors like intelligence and executive functioning within a developmental framework. This study aimed to explore the role of intelligence and executive functioning in determining the post-secondary destinations of autistic students in special secondary education. Gaining insight into the factor determining the transition outcomes of autistic students is crucial, as these outcomes significantly impact their future career prospects and further education. Consequently, this study could help prevent the negative consequences such as over- and underload and societal disengagement. Data were obtained by analysing developmental perspective files, with a total of 14 participants (93% male) aged 12-18 years included in the study. The findings suggest that autistic students with higher levels of intelligence are more inclined to pursue further education. Conversely, those with higher levels of executive functioning tend to have a lower likelihood of transitioning to further education and tend to gravitate towards employment. Furthermore, executive functioning was found to moderate the relationship between intelligence and the post-secondary destination. When executive functioning is low, there is a stronger correlation between intelligence and post-secondary destination. A lower level of intelligence implies employment, while a higher level of intelligence implies higher education. However, higher levels of executive functioning weaken the association between intelligence and post-secondary destination.In such cases, both high and low levels of intelligence may lead to employment for the students. The implications and alternative explanations for these findings are discussed, as well as suggestions for future research.Show less
A quarter of students is not able to read reasonably well at the end of elementary school. The number of students that voluntarily read in their spare time is also decreasing. However, reading is...Show moreA quarter of students is not able to read reasonably well at the end of elementary school. The number of students that voluntarily read in their spare time is also decreasing. However, reading is an important presentation mode in order to understand information. The ability to process information is important in order to function in society. The purpose of this thesis is to research which factors influence story comprehension. The effect of presentation mode, child-specific-factors and reading skills on the ability to understand information was investigated. For instance, the influence of a reading comprehension-test and the class-level on the comprehension scores for each presentation mode was examined. Furthermore, the effect of the level of intrinsic reading-motivation and the frequency of reading in spare time on the scores of comprehension for reading was investigated. An experiment was carried out in which 82 students from grade 4, 5 and 6 answered comprehension questions about three stories that they have read, listened to and viewed. The participants also filled in questionnaires about reading, listening and viewing frequency and about intrinsic motivation. The analysis of the results showed that scores for comprehension differed between text and video, but not between audio and the other presentation modes. The highest scores are reached by viewing a story. The results showed also that the effect of presentation mode on the level of story comprehension is not different for various reading comprehension-test scores and class-levels. Eventually, only a small part of the comprehension score can be explained by intrinsic reading-motivation and the amount of reading in spare time. Intrinsic reading-motivation is the best explainer for this relationship. Implications for theory and practice were also discussed. Follow-up research could for example focus on different aspects of story comprehension, like retelling a story or predicting how a story will continue.Show less
In the latest version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, selective mutism is classified as an anxiety disorder. Literature has shown that there is a strong overlap...Show moreIn the latest version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, selective mutism is classified as an anxiety disorder. Literature has shown that there is a strong overlap between social anxiety and selective mutism. Social anxiety is known to be related to a lower quality of life. A lower quality of life is associated with stress and depression and an increased risk of medical problems. This study aims to gain a clearer picture of what is more important in an adolescent's quality of life: selective mutism, social anxiety, or low speech behaviour. 79 adolescents aged from 10 to 18 and one of their parents completed various questionnaires. Adolescents completed subscale C of the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Disorders (SCARED) and the domain psychological well-being of the Kidscreen-52. Parents completed the Selective Mutism Questionnaire (SMQ) and a short questionnaire that showed whether or not an adolescent has selective mutism. Significantly less speaking behavior has been reported in adolescents with selective mutism than without selective mutism (t(78) = -12.28, p<.001). In addition, significantly more social anxiety was found in adolescents with selective mutism than in adolescents without (t(78) = 9.19, p < .001). A significantly lower quality of life was found in adolescents with selective mutism than in adolescents without selective mutism (t(78) = -2.71, p = .010). The association between speaking behavior and social anxiety turned out to be significant (r = -.77, p<.001), the association between social anxiety and quality of life aswell (r = -.33, p<.001) and the association between speaking behavior and quality of life was also significant (r = .30, p = .01). The variables have been shown to be related to each other but not to have a significantly unique contribution to the quality of life of adolescents. Selective mutism as well as social anxiety and a low level of speaking behavior lead to a lower quality of life. More research is needed to further expand the picture of selective mutism and quality of life.Show less
Background: Emotion recognition is essential for social functioning and communication. Research has shown that when adolescents with conduct disorder (CD) also show high callous-unemotional traits ...Show moreBackground: Emotion recognition is essential for social functioning and communication. Research has shown that when adolescents with conduct disorder (CD) also show high callous-unemotional traits (CU+), they are slower in recognizing negative emotions. Moreover, adolescents with CD/CU+ are limited in affective empathy and they are less fearful of punishment. On the other hand, autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is associated with a lesser ability to recognize emotions of others in an accurate manner. Besides that, in contrast to CD/CU+, they are impaired in the cognitive aspects of empathy. Aim: This study aims to gain knowledge regarding emotion recognition of adolescents, diagnosed with either ASD or CD/CU+. Specifically, this study focuses on the speed and accuracy negative emotions are recognized with. Additionally, the relationship between diagnostics and emotional processing is researched, and whether cognitive or affective empathy moderate this relationship. The latter aspect has not been studied yet in current literature. Method: The sample consisted of 48 boys between 15 and 19 years (M = 17.2), either boys with ASD (N = 23) or boys with CD/CU+ (N = 25). Using a socio-emotional computer task, fearful and angry faces were presented, and participants were requested to recognize the emotional state. Results: In contrast to earlier findings, results showed that emotion recognition accuracy did not differ between boys with CD/CU+ and boys with ASD. However, there was a difference found in reaction time: boys with CD/CU+ showed a faster reaction time to angry faces than boys with ASD. Finally, empathy did not moderate the relationship between diagnostics and emotion recognition. Conclusion: It can be concluded that boys with CD/CU+ and ASD recognize angry emotions differently. Although further research is recommended, this study emphasizes the importance of adjusting interventions to specific abilities and impairments of the individual, which can increase the efficacy.Show less
Children with a developmental language disorder (DLD) have a higher chance to be underestimated by their teachers through static and traditional tests at primary school. Present study investigates...Show moreChildren with a developmental language disorder (DLD) have a higher chance to be underestimated by their teachers through static and traditional tests at primary school. Present study investigates whether an abbreviated dynamic test would be a viable instrument to help teachers measure the instructional needs for children with a DLD. Pupils who participated (N = 66, M = 9.5 years, SD = 0.53) took an abbreviated dynamic test consisting of a 12-item analogy task. A hierarchical graduated prompt training (metacognitive, cognitive or modelling) was given to a student whom answered incorrectly. In addition, the teachers were given a questionnaire consisting of questions about pupil’s language development and current school results. First, the relationship between language development, teachers rating of instructional needs and school results was measured. A positive and significant relation was found in which children with a higher language development needed less instructions and had higher school results. Second, the relationship between language development and instructional needs on the abbreviated dynamic test were measured. It was found that children with a slower language development needed more and different kinds of graduated prompts during the dynamic test, showing a different need for instruction. Lastly the predictive value of the abbreviated dynamic test in combination with language development was measured. The abbreviated dynamic test in combination with language development is found to be a significant and strong predictor for math scores on Cito. In conclusion, it is possible to use an abbreviated dynamic test with standardized graduated prompts to measure the instructional needs of children with a language development disorder.Show less
There is little scientific research on the intergenerational transmission of trauma from parents to their offspring in violent households. There is also little knowledge about the importance of the...Show moreThere is little scientific research on the intergenerational transmission of trauma from parents to their offspring in violent households. There is also little knowledge about the importance of the gender of both the parents and the children in intergenerational trauma. It is important to find out more about influential factors on intergenerational trauma to be able to shape trauma treatment. This study aimed to investigate whether there is an association between the trauma symptoms of the parents and the trauma symptoms of their child. Further, there is investigated whether the gender of the child and the gender of the parents have a significant effect on intergenerational transmission of trauma. The sample consisted of 800 families with information about at least one parent (167 fathers and 633 mothers) and one child (397 boys and 403 girls). The parents’ age ranged from 18 to 55 years old (M= 3.90; SD= .81). The children were between 1 and 18 years old (M= 7.46; SD= 3.56). The following questionnaires were used: The trauma Symptoms Inventory (TSI), Trauma Symptom Checklist for Young Children (TSCYC), and the Trauma Symptom Checklist for Children (TSCC). Results showed that the trauma symptoms of parents were a good predictor of the child’s trauma symptoms. Both the gender of the child and the gender of parents did not affect the intergenerational transmission of trauma symptoms from parents to their child. The results of the present study show that secondary trauma symptoms are a factor to consider in the treatment of trauma symptoms. More scientific research is needed to confirm the results of this study. Follow-up research must also focus on other influential factors, such as culture, resilience, and parenting style.Show less
Current research aimed on finding an answer to the question 'How do the personal and work-related characteristics of professionals at the Youth Protection Table coincide with the decision about...Show moreCurrent research aimed on finding an answer to the question 'How do the personal and work-related characteristics of professionals at the Youth Protection Table coincide with the decision about whether or not to proceed with an investigation by child protection services?'. Previous studies have shown that there is often a lack of consensus among youth professionals when making a placement decision (Lindsey, 2004; De Haan et al., 2019). Research showed that personal and work-related characteristics, such as years of work experience and educational background play an important role (Van der Asdonk et al., 2019; De Haan et al., 2019). Knowing that large numbers of families in the Netherlands have dealings with youth care, and wanting to give them proper protection, it is important to gain full knowledge about the way characteristics of youth professionals influence decision-making processes and possible interrelated aspects (Graham et al., 2015). In this study, this has been investigated regarding the decision to lead, or not lead, families to a mandatory youth protection framework. Measured are specifically the variables work experience, level of education, attitude towards forced help, perceived work stress and perceived support in the workplace. Current research did not show any significant relationships between these variables and the decision to lead families to involuntary youth care. This lack of significant correlations may be ascribed to, among other things, a low variance in the sample and a less than expected scale of the sample. Based on the current research, it cannot be concluded that individual characteristics of youth professionals play a role in decision-making processes, but it cannot be said that these connections do not exist either. Follow-up research must further clarify the exact nature of these possible relations. Discussed implications may improve future research-design.Show less
Consideration of future consequences (CFC) is one of the constructs that make up future oriented thinking. Not much is known about how CFC is formed or how it can be changed. Previous studies show...Show moreConsideration of future consequences (CFC) is one of the constructs that make up future oriented thinking. Not much is known about how CFC is formed or how it can be changed. Previous studies show that CFC is negatively related to self-defeating behavior and positively related to goal achievement. The goal of the present study was to reestablish these relations with a more generalized definition of self-defeating behavior and goal achievement in different domains. Apart from this, the present study had the goal of determining whether CFC could be changed through a VR- or smartphone application over the course of three weeks. 193 first year students from Leiden University (92,7% female) participated in the study. The participants were divided among three conditions: a VR-condition, a smartphone app-condition and a control condition. At the start of the study, the participants were asked to complete a questionnaire measuring CFC and self-defeating behavior. In addition, all participants set goals for themselves to complete. The degree to which they had achieved these goals was measured after three weeks, along with a second measurement of CFC. It was found through a regression analysis that CFC showed a significant correlation with self-defeating behavior, meaning CFC predicted this behavior. A regression analysis between CFC and goal achievement showed no significant correlation, meaning that CFC did not predict goal achievement. Finally, a repeated measures ANOVA indicated that there was no significant improvement of CFC after three weeks of using the intervention. Although no significant difference was found, perhaps an intervention that is used for a longer time period or a domain specific intervention could yield more successful results in improving CFC. More research is needed in defining the underlying constructs of self-defeating behavior and goal achievement, as well as evaluating possible ways to stimulate awareness of future consequences.Show less
Background: previous research showed the relationship between the risk status of the mother and child aggression. Attachment has also been related to child aggression and this includes prenatal...Show moreBackground: previous research showed the relationship between the risk status of the mother and child aggression. Attachment has also been related to child aggression and this includes prenatal attachment. If prenatal attachment moderates the relationship between risk status and child aggression, an intervention could be implemented to improve the prenatal attachment in order to prevent or reduce aggression by the child. Research question: Does prenatal attachment moderate the relationship between the risk status of the mother and the aggression of 20-month-old children? Methods: Maternal risk status and prenatal attachment were assessed during pregnancy and aggression was assessed when the children were 20 months old. The mothers were divided into two groups, one group consisted of high risk mothers and the other of low risk mothers (based on criteria by the World Health Organization and a weighted count of the number of risk factors). The mothers completed the Maternal Antenatal Attachment Scale (MAAS) during the first assessment (pregnancy) and the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) during the 4th assessment when the children were approximately 20 months old. Analyses of variance were used to examine whether prenatal attachment moderated the association between risk status and child aggression. Results: The risk status of the mother predicted the aggression of the 20-month-old child. There also was a significant relationship between prenatal attachment and risk status. There were no significant relations between prenatal attachment and aggression. Lastly, prenatal attachment did not moderate the relation between the risk status of the mother and the aggression of the child. Conclusion: The results of this study confirm the relation between the risk status of the mother and the aggression of the 20-month-old child. An intervention could be introduced when a mother is categorized as high risk. Further research is needed to see which factors could moderate the relationship between the risk status of the mother and the aggression of the child.Show less
Children with Klinefelter may face difficulties in their later life when it comes to social emotional development and behavior problems (Bruining et al., 2009). This could lead to behavior- and...Show moreChildren with Klinefelter may face difficulties in their later life when it comes to social emotional development and behavior problems (Bruining et al., 2009). This could lead to behavior- and emotion regulation problems including anxiety. During a stressful life event it is crucial to be able to control/use cognitive emotion regulation strategies (Thompson, 1994). If this fails, it can lead to behavior- or social development problems. Although separate results from previous studies suggest a link between anxiety, regulation problems and stressful life events, this possible coherence has not been studied yet for Klinefelter children. Method: To investigate this, 95 children in the age of 1-7 years (of which 51 children with Klinefelter) and their parents participated in a series of questionnaires (Child Behavior Checklist, Children’s Behavior-/Early Childhood Behavior-/VMG Life Events Questionnaire). Results: Children with Klinefelter were found to be more anxious and showed a less expressive internal regulation state compared to the control group, according to their parents. According to the CBQ/ECBQ Reactivity/Soothability subscale results, children with Klinefelter showed less expressive (blunted) emotions when they were in pain, upset or experienced an exciting activity/event. In addition, stressful life events turned out to be a predictor for anxious depressed behavior in children with Klinefelter. There was also no interaction found for the degree of stressful life events and anxious/depressed or reactivity/soothability behavior within the Klinefelter- or control group. Conclusion: Children with Klinefelter experience more anxiety/depressed behavior and less expressive internal regulation state than children without Klinefelter. An association between stressful life events and anxiety/depressed behavior is found within children with Klinefelter, but there is no evidence found for a coherence between stressful life events and regulation problems. Furthermore, no interaction was found between the degree of stressful life events and anxious/depressed or reactivity/soothability behavior within the Klinefelter- or control group.Show less
Background: Autism is a complex disorder with a variety of symptoms and differences in their severity. Previous research indicates that within the core symptoms of autism there are differences in...Show moreBackground: Autism is a complex disorder with a variety of symptoms and differences in their severity. Previous research indicates that within the core symptoms of autism there are differences in the behavioral expressions in boys and girls with autism characteristics. Yet not enough is known about the sex differences within autism and the associated behavioral expressions that influence quality of life (QoL). Using this research, it is investigated to what extent the degree of autism characteristics is related to social cognition and QoL in boys and girls. Method: The study has a cross-sectional research design. The research group consist 22 boys and 20 girls in primary and secondary school age. The SRS was used to measure the degree of autism characteristics. QoL was questioned with the Cantril-ladder self-assessment questionnaire and social cognition was measured with the VR perspective taking test. Results: The results confirm that neither social cognition nor degree of autism characteristics are predictors of QoL. In addition, gender does not influence the relationship between social cognition and the degree of autism characteristics. This is also the case with the relationship between the QoL and the degree of autism characteristics. Conclusion: The data suggest some interesting findings about the sex differences in boys and girls with autism and the view of QoL in this group children. Both boys and girls experience limitations within social cognition. The way in which these restrictions are deal with differs. To meet the expectations of others, people with autism use different techniques to hide their autism. This may have a negative impact on QoL. In future research it is necessary to have more knowledge about the sex differences in people with autism characteristics.Show less
The current study focused on the influence of social cognition on cognitive and affective empathy and whether the LPE-label and socioeconomic status fulfilled moderating roles in the relationships...Show moreThe current study focused on the influence of social cognition on cognitive and affective empathy and whether the LPE-label and socioeconomic status fulfilled moderating roles in the relationships between these socioemotional aspects for adolescent boys with conduct disorder (CD). The aim of the study was to focus on these relations within the CD-group itself, since most research compared CD-youth with healthy controls, thereby omitting the heterogeneity of CD. Moreover, the relationship between social cognition and empathy, both socioemotional aspects, within the CD-group itself had not been examined yet. The different socioemotional aspects were measured using questionnaires, such as the Basic Empathy Scale and the Social Responsiveness Scale. These were completed by 49 adolescent boys, aged from fifteen to nineteen years, with a severe form of CD. Two double moderation regression analyses were performed to explore the relationship between social cognition and the dependent factors cognitive and affective empathy. For cognitive empathy there were no significant relationships found. For affective empathy significant relationships were present. First of all, there was a negative effect of social cognition on affective empathy, higher levels of social cognition were linked to lower levels affective empathy. This could be explained by the fact that CD-youth with higher social cognition capacities know how to take advantage of others, therefore being more manipulative without having to empathize with them. Secondly, as expected, there was a positive effect of LPE: the CD/LPE+ group scored significantly lower on affective empathy than the CD/LPE- group. Additionally, there were no significant moderations of LPE-label and socioeconomic status found for both cognitive and affective empathy. To conclude, having better social cognition skills as well as CD/LPE+ were related to lower levels of affective empathy, not cognitive empathy, in adolescent boys with severe CD.Show less
