Date of Award

1998

Publication Type

Doctoral Thesis

Degree Name

Ph.D.

Department

Psychology

Keywords

Psychology, Clinical.

Supervisor

Rourke, B. P.,

Rights

info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess

Abstract

In this study, a group of 46 children, early shunted for hydrocephalus, were examined with regard to the development of their neuropsychological and socioemotional functioning. The purpose of this study was to test the model of Nonverbal Learning Disabilities (NLD; Rourke, 1989, 1995), by studying a clinical group of children with assumed early cerebral white matter damage or dysfunction. As the NLD model predicts a specific course of development, children of two age groups (5--8 yrs (n = 23) and 9--14 yrs (n = 23)) were included in the study. A second purpose of the study was to investigate the contribution of factors related to etiology on neuropsychological and socioemotional development. Therefore, three etiological groups were included in this study: children with hydrocephalus associated with myelomeningocele (n = 17), children with hydrocephalus secondary to intraventricular hemorrhage (n = 16), and children with hydrocephalus secondary to aqueductal stenosis (n = 13). All children were assessed with a comprehensive neuropsychological battery and measures of socioemotional functioning. The statistical techniques of Profile Analysis, Planned Comparisons, and two-way Analysis of Variance were used in analyzing the data. The results of this investigation revealed a strong resemblance between the neuropsychological and socioemotional profiles of the total hydrocephalic group and the NLD profile, providing clinical validity for the NLD model. The three etiological groups resembled the NLD profile to differing degrees. The neuropsychological and socioemotional profiles of the Myelomeningocele group were most similar to the NLD profiles, followed by the profiles of the Intraventricular Hemorrhage group and the Aqueductal Stenosis group. The analyses also revealed trends in the development of these areas of functioning, supporting the developmental roots of the development roots of the NLD model. Finally, implications of the study for future investigations were discussed.Dept. of Psychology. Paper copy at Leddy Library: Theses & Major Papers - Basement, West Bldg. / Call Number: Thesis1998 .K67. Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 61-09, Section: B, page: 4990. Adviser: B. P. Rourke. Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Windsor (Canada), 1998.

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