Influence of the Environmental Context on Neuro-psychomotor Development in Adopted Children

Summary

The neuro-psychomotor development of children is influenced by multiple factors that play a crucial role in determining normal development or the onset of difficulties and atypicalities. Among these, the environmental context plays a fundamentally relevant role in modulating the child's abilities. Previous studies have compared children who have lived in foster care for at least 8 months with children who have always been within their own family nucleus, highlighting deficits in growth, development, and cognitive and behavioral skills in the former.

The aim of this project is to assess the effect of the environmental context on the development of executive functions and adaptive abilities in adopted children. Executive functions involve cognitive processes such as initiation, planning, organization, and regulation of behavior, while adaptive abilities include skills that allow the child to respond to demands from the external environment.

The project is conducted in two phases: a retrospective and a parallel prospective phase. The retrospective phase involves the analysis of the clinical records of adopted children in school age at the Pediatric, Child Neuropsychiatry, and Clinical Psychology units of the Fondazione Policlinico A. Gemelli IRCCS. The prospective phase consists of evaluating executive functions and adaptive abilities using specific tools recommended by the Italian Society of Child Neuropsychiatry, including the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales for adaptive abilities and a series of specific tests for executive functions, included in the document "Assessment of attention and executive functions in developmental age: review of Italian instruments and proposal of a battery for in-depth analysis." Additionally, to assess internalizing or externalizing behavioral aspects, parents will complete the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) questionnaire.

Through this study, the investigators aim to deepen the understanding of the role of the environmental context in the neuro-psychomotor development of adopted children, with particular attention to executive functions and adaptive abilities. The results obtained may provide valuable information for a better understanding of the underlying mechanisms and for the implementation of targeted interventions aimed at the optimal support of these children during their growth and development journey.

Conditions

• Adoption

Interventions

OTHER

Neuropsychological testing

In this study, the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale is administered, which evaluates the child's adaptive functioning, particularly in four areas: communication, socialization, daily living skills, and motor activities. The Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) questionnaire is also administered, which is a questionnaire given to parents that highlights elements related to internalizing and externalizing behavioral disorders. For the assessment of executive functions, a series of tests are administered to evaluate specific functions. These tests are chosen from a list of available tests according to the document from the Italian Society of Child Neuropsychiatry, titled "Assessment of attention and executive functions in developmental age: review of Italian instruments and proposal of a battery for in-depth analysis."

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Giorgia Coratti · Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli, IRCCS

Eligibility

Min Age

5 Years

Max Age

10 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2023-10-26

Primary Completion

2024-10-26

Completion

2024-10-26

Countries

• Italy

Study Locations