ANNIKA DAHLGREN SANDBERG - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by ANNIKA DAHLGREN SANDBERG

Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, Feb 1, 1997

The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children—Revised (WISC—R) was applied (in a Swedish version) ... more The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children—Revised (WISC—R) was applied (in a Swedish version) in 120 children with Aspcrger syndrome, autistic disorder, and attention disorders. Using stepwise logistic regression analysis, the WISC's discriminating ability was investigated. The overall rate of correct diagnostic classification was 63%. Further. WISC profiles were analysed within each group. The group with autistic disorder was characterised by a peak on Block Design. The Asperger syndrome group had good verbal ability and troughs on Object Assembly and Coding, The group with attention disorders had troughs on Coding and Arithmetic. The results suggest that Kaufman's Verbal Comprehension, Perceptual Organisation and Freedom from Distractibility factors rather than verbal IQ and performance IQ account for the variance on the WISC. Furthermore, the Asperger syndrome and autistic disorder groups differed in respect of “fluid” and “crystallised” cognitive ability.

International Journal of Disability Development and Education, Jun 1, 2005

... Steele, Joseph, and Tager‐Flusberg (200348. Steele, S, Joseph, RM and Tager‐Flusberg, H. (200... more ... Steele, Joseph, and Tager‐Flusberg (200348. Steele, S, Joseph, RM and Tager‐Flusberg, H. (2003). ... Serra, Loth, van Geert, Hurkens, and Minderaa (200246. Serra, M, Loth, FL, van Geert, PLC, Hurkens, E and Minderaa, RB. (2002). ...

Autism & developmental language impairments, 2018

Background: Autism spectrum disorder has been associated with atypical voice characteristics and ... more Background: Autism spectrum disorder has been associated with atypical voice characteristics and prosody. In the scientific literature, four different aspects of atypical speech production in autism spectrum disorder have been highlighted; voice quality together with the prosodic aspects pitch, duration and intensity. Studies of prosody in autism spectrum disorder have almost exclusively used perceptual methods. Recently, some studies have used acoustic analyses. In these studies, it has been pointed out that the acoustic differences found are not necessarily perceived as atypical by listeners, which is why it is important to let listeners evaluate perceptual correlates to acoustic findings. The aims of this study were to use both perceptual and acoustic analyses to study prosodic production in children with autism spectrum disorder and to examine if voice and speech characteristics could be used as clinical markers for autism spectrum disorder. Method: Eleven children within normal range of intelligence diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and 11 children with typical development participated. Every child was recorded telling a story elicited with the expression, reception and recall of narrative instrument. Excerpts of one minute were extracted from the audio files creating the material underlying the perceptual ratings and in the acoustic analysis. An evaluation procedure, partly based on a standardized voice evaluation procedure developed for clinical practice in Sweden, was designed for the perceptual judgments and analysis. To capture critical prosodic variables, aspects of prosody based on characteristic features of Swedish prosody, prosodic features known to cause Swedish children with language impairment particular problems and current research of prosodic impairments in children with autism, were used as rating variables. The acoustic analysis was based on the four variables fundamental frequency (f o) average, f o range, f o variation and speech rate, together with the language production-related variable number of words per utterance.

Research in Developmental Disabilities, Sep 1, 2009

Children with cerebral palsy, spina bifida and pragmatic language impairment: Differences and sim... more Children with cerebral palsy, spina bifida and pragmatic language impairment: Differences and similarities in pragmatic ability

Research in Developmental Disabilities, 2009

Research in Developmental Disabilities, Sep 1, 2010

Numerous studies during the past decades have shown that children with late developing language a... more Numerous studies during the past decades have shown that children with late developing language are at risk for developing future reading problems. According to a systematic review by Law, Boyle, Harris, Nye, and Norris (1998), 41-75% of children with delayed early expressive language show later reading problems at age 8 years. Risk factors for persistent problems include the initial severity, whether the language difficulties are generalized across language domains (phonology, grammar, semantics and pragmatics) and if also cognitive and developmental skills are delayed (Conti-Ramsden, Simkin, &

Research in Developmental Disabilities, Mar 1, 2010

Theory of mind, i.e. an understanding that other people (and oneself) have thoughts, desires and ... more Theory of mind, i.e. an understanding that other people (and oneself) have thoughts, desires and beliefs and that these mental states govern behaviour, is a fundamental ability to fully understand human behaviour and to take part in daily life. It is essential to understand that people engaged in the same situation as one self can have different mental states in spite of the same experience. In general, this ability develops by the age of four (Perner, Leekam, & Wimmer, 1987; Surian & Leslie, 1999) and subsequently at the age of 6-7 an understanding of someone else's thinking about a third person's thinking develops. However the development of theory of mind begins early in the child's life with precursor skills that includes joint attention, use of mental states and pretend play (Miller, 2006). Many researchers have claimed that language plays a special role in the development of theory of mind. One suggestion is that language influences the development of theory of mind (ToM) through the children's exposure to talk about mental states. This suggestion is based on the findings that mothers' and families' talk about mental states predicts children's later theory of mind performance (Dunn, Brown, Slomkowski, Tesla, & Youngblade, 1991; Ruffman, Slade, & Crowe, 2002), that siblings promote the children's development of theory of mind (e.g. Jenkins & Astington, 1996; Peterson, 2000) and that latesigning deaf children performed worse on theory of mind tasks in comparison to native signers (e.g. Meristo et al., 2007; Woolfe, Want, & Siegal, 2002). The latter finding could be explained by the late signers not having as many opportunities as native signers or hearing children to learn about mental states through conversation. Another suggestion is that general language abilities promote the development of theory of mind (de Villiers & de Villiers, 2000). Astington and Jenkins (1999), e.g. found that scores of expressive language ability and receptive scores for syntax predicted later performance on theory of mind tasks. Farrar and Maag (2002) also found that vocabulary and MLU predicted performance on theory of mind tasks.

International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders, 2002

Seven non-speaking preschool children with severe cerebral palsy, 5-7 years of age, were studied ... more Seven non-speaking preschool children with severe cerebral palsy, 5-7 years of age, were studied with respect to the amount of prelinguistic versus linguistic modes of communication used in communicative interaction with a previously unknown adult. An attempt was also made to analyse this in relation to the childrens&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;#39; physical, cognitive and linguistic capacities. No significant correlations were found, however. Given that all participants had reached preschool age and were of normal intelligence, the amount of linguistic communication used (12%) was much less than could be expected. Explanations for the results were suggested, including limited interaction possibilities with the environment due to motor dysfunction, which in turn might prevent development of linguistic skills necessary to take part in more complex communicative interaction later in life.

Developmental Neurorehabilitation

Mind understanding allows for the adaptation of expressive language to a listener and is a core e... more Mind understanding allows for the adaptation of expressive language to a listener and is a core element when communicating new information to a communication partner. There is limited knowledge about the relationship between aided language and mind understanding. This study investigates this relationship using a communication task. The participants were 71 aided communicators using graphic symbols or spelling for expression (38/33 girls/boys) and a reference group of 40 speaking children (21/19 girls/ boys), aged 5;0-15;11 years. The task was to describe, but not name, drawings to a communication partner. The partner could not see the drawing and had to infer what was depicted from the child&amp;amp;amp;amp;#39;s explanation. Dyads with aided communicators solved fewer items than reference dyads (64% vs 93%). The aided spellers presented more precise details than the symbol users (46% vs 38%). In the aided group, number of correct items correlated with verbal comprehension and age.

Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology, Apr 13, 2020

To investigate if communication ability and method were related to each other and to age, sex, gr... more To investigate if communication ability and method were related to each other and to age, sex, gross motor function, or manual ability in children with cerebral palsy. METHOD This cross-sectional study used data registered in the Swedish Cerebral Palsy Surveillance Program registry, involving 3000 children aged 0 to 18 years. Pearson's v 2 test and Spearman's correlation were used to test associations between variables. RESULTS Communication ability and method were related to each other and to age, gross motor function, and manual ability. Aided communication methods were more frequently used among older children. The more functional the communication was, the less use of unaided communication occurred. Different communication methods were used across all Communication Function Classification System (CFCS) levels. Speech was most common in more functional levels, used by 72% of the children. Forty-five per cent were considered effective communicators in all environments. For classification of communication level and method, some recurring registration errors were made by the raters. INTERPRETATION Some raters may need clarification on interpretations of CFCS instructions. Results indicate that children should be presented to aided augmentative and alternative communication and manual signs earlier and to a greater extent.

Nordic Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 2017

Aims: To investigate self-reported physical and psychiatric problems, use of alcohol and illicit ... more Aims: To investigate self-reported physical and psychiatric problems, use of alcohol and illicit drugs, as well as conviction, and being a victim, of crime in adults with foetal alcohol syndrome (FAS). Methods: Interviews with 20 adults, aged 30±8 years with FAS diagnosis (65% female) and an age-and-gender-matched comparison group. Measures used were the Addiction Severity Index interview, the Beck Depression Inventory Scale and the Beck Anxiety Inventory Scale. Results and conclusions: Adults with FAS need healthcare for depression and suicidal ideation, which occurred commonly, but problems with use of alcohol and illicit drugs were not more common in the FAS group. Although self-reported physical health problems were not more common in the FAS group, their number of days with sickness leave indicated that they are often in too poor a physical condition to work. A majority of the FAS group had been victims of crime, which makes this an important topic for further research. The gro...

The European Journal of Public Health, 2016

Background: Even in adulthood, the disabilities associated with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders ... more Background: Even in adulthood, the disabilities associated with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) may have a major impact on life, but different environmental circumstances during childhood may also be influential. This study aimed to investigate placements in out-of-home care, and number of early separations from caregivers, related to psychosocial outcomes in adults with fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS). Additional analyses were then done on a subgroup's cognitive development and mental health. Methods: Data on education and living with biological parents or in out-of-home care were obtained from childhood medical records on 51 adults (43% women), mean age 32, all diagnosed with FAS. Adult psychosocial outcomes (e.g. highest completed education, economic status, care due to alcohol or illicit drug abuse, mental health and conviction for crime) were obtained from national registers. Results: No significant within-group differences related to the adult psychosocial outcomes were found. Psychiatric disorders, psychotropic drug prescriptions and crime convictions were equally common, regardless of whether placement in care was early or late, or whether the participants had experienced few or many early separations. Conclusions: We suggest that the findings illustrate the heterogeneity among individuals with FASD. Welfare authorities' decisions concerning special education and placement in out-of-home care should be tailored to each individual. Interventions from society are still needed for individuals with FAS over 22 years old.

Nordic Journal of Psychiatry, 2015

or new category that would have been correct for the immediately preceding category. The computer... more or new category that would have been correct for the immediately preceding category. The computerized (PEBL) version of the Tower of Hanoi (32) was used. The instructions were: You are about to perform a task called the ' Tower of Hanoi '. Your goal is to move a pile of disks from their original confi guration to the confi guration shown at the top of the screen. You can only move one disk at a time and you cannot move a disk onto a smaller disk. To move a disk, click on the pile you want to move a disk from, and it will move up above the piles. Then click on another pile, and the disk will move down to that pile.

Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs, 2010

... Correspondence: Jakob Åsberg, Department of ... Data from the matrices subtest from Wechsler ... more ... Correspondence: Jakob Åsberg, Department of ... Data from the matrices subtest from Wechsler Abbreviated Scales of Intelligence (WASI) (Wechsler, 1999) and a Swedish translation of Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT) (Dunn and Dunn, 1997) were collected for ...

Access to Language and Cognitive Development, 2011

Augmentative and alternative communication (Baltimore, Md. : 1985), Jan 29, 2018

Narratives are a pervasive form of discourse and a rich source for exploring a range of language ... more Narratives are a pervasive form of discourse and a rich source for exploring a range of language and cognitive skills. The limited research base to date suggests that narratives generated using aided communication may be structurally simple, and that features of cohesion and reference may be lacking. This study reports on the analysis of narratives generated in interactions involving aided communication in response to short, silent, video vignettes depicting events with unintended or unexpected consequences. Two measures were applied to the data: the Narrative Scoring Scheme and the Narrative Analysis Profile. A total of 15 participants who used aided communication interacted with three different communication partners (peers, parents, professionals) relaying narratives about three video events. Their narratives were evaluated with reference to narratives of 15 peers with typical development in response to the same short videos and to the narratives that were interpreted by their co...

Logopedics Phoniatrics Vocology

Andersson (2020): Using a word association task to investigate semantic depth in swedish-speaking... more Andersson (2020): Using a word association task to investigate semantic depth in swedish-speaking children with developmental language disorder, Logopedics Phoniatrics Vocology,

The Journal of Genetic Psychology