Background: Early development is characterized by considerable variability.
Purpose: To investigate the stability of the revised Korean Developmental Screening Test (K-DST) classification of the development of healthy term 4–6 and 10–12 month-old infants. Methods: This study used data from the Korean Children’s Environmental Health study, a nationwide prospective birth cohort study. Sixty-nine healthy term infants (26 boys, 43 girls) underwent... |
Despite neonatal intensive care advancements and quality improvements, preterm infants often experience delays in speech and language development during early childhood. The etiological pathway of language delays is multifactorial, including younger gestational age at birth, male sex, pregnancy complications including gestational diabetes mellitus and preeclampsia, organic pathology from neonatal morbidities, environmental factors of the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and... |
· A detailed history and comprehensive physical examination remain the cornerstones for establishing a diagnosis of global developmental delay/intellectual disability (GDD/ID). · Comprehensive surveillance and screening programs play a significant role in the early detection of GDD. · Whole-exome sequencing is highly recommended as first- or second-line testing for individuals with idiopathic GDD/ID. · Early intervention by a well-versed multidisciplinary team can significantly improve the outcomes and prognosis of GDD/ID. |
Question: Does online responsive teaching (RT) impact children's and parents’ emotions and behaviors, and do parents find it satisfactory? Finding: Online RT significantly improved children's pivotal and problem behaviors, decreased parenting stress, and enhanced parental interactive styles with high satisfaction. Meaning: This pilot study's findings suggest that online RT can enhance child outcomes, offering accessible interventions amid challenges such as limited access and pandemics. |
· Sensitivity to endocrine-disrupting chemical (EDC) exposure increases during critical developmental periods (in embryos, fetuses, and neonates). · Pre- and postnatal exposure to EDCs is associated with fetal growth restriction, preterm birth, and low birth weight. · Exposure to EDCs during fetal and early postnatal life can have lasting and lifelong neurodevelopmental outcomes, including autism spectrum, attention deficit hyperactivity, and other cognitive and behavioral disorders. |
· Orphan disease is a rare disease, primarily affecting newborn and children. Vast majority of orphan diseases has genetic background. · Orphan disease is individually rare. But as a whole, it is not rare, becoming a great socioeconomic burden. · The diagnosis of rare genetic disease has been problematic, but recent progress of genome analysis technologies makes it faster and more precise. · There are many unmet needs as to the curative treatment. However, the number of treatable rare diseases is growingly increasing owing to the development of biotechnology. · Most orphan drugs are extremely expensive because of numer ous hurdles during the process of drug development as well as small number of patients. |
Despite worldwide acceptance of acetaminophen (paracetamol) in pediatric medicine, careful examination reveals no valid objections to the conclusion that early exposure to acetaminophen causes neurodevelopmental injury in susceptible babies and children. Nevertheless, debate that early exposure to acetaminophen causes neurodevelopmental injury has centered around the prenatal period, evidence of which is relatively limited compared to that in the postnatal period, which is the time of greatest absolute and relative risk. |
· Spontaneous movements can be useful to evaluate neuronal integrity in preterm infants. · In General Movements Assessment, continuous cramped synchronized movements and absent fidgety movements can indicate high-risk infants for cerebral palsy. · Recent advances in machine learning techniques have led to the automated prediction of cerebral palsy based on infantile spontaneous movements. |
· Congenital hearing loss is common, with an approximate incidence of 1.5 per 1,000 newborns and affecting 1.2%–11% of preterm and 1.6%–13.7% of neonatal intensive care unit neonates. · Etiologies vary, and up to 80% of cases are genetic. · Newborn hearing screenings follow the 1-3-6 rule, and babies at high risk of hearing loss should be referred to otolaryngology for early detection and timely intervention. |
· This review discusses the development and application of the Korean Developmental Screening Test for Infants and Children (K-DST) for ensuring early childhood development. · Various studies have demonstrated the integral role of the K-DST in facilitating the detection of developmental delays and delivery of timely interventions. · The tailoring of the K-DST to Korean infants and children suggests that other countries may further translate and adapt it. |
· The gut microbiota can alter a host’s brain development and behavior. · Gut bacteria communicate with the brain via the microbiota-gut-brain axis. · Fecal microbial transplantation is a promising treatment strategy for autism spectrum disorder. |
Question: What comorbidities are increased in children with congenital muscular torticollis (CMT)? Are there differences in the neurodevelopmental outcomes of children with CMT who received physical therapy versus those who did not? Finding: The risk of congenital musculoskeletal deformities is increased in CMT. Children who did not receive physical therapy were at greater risk of neurodevelopmental delay. Meaning: In CMT, musculoskeletal comorbidities should be identified and active early treatment provided. |
Question: When is the best screening timing and what is the risk factor for developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) in preterm infants? Finding: Ultrasonography performed earlier than 38 weeks of postmenstrual age caused unnecessary subsequent ultrasonography. DDH did not occur predominantly on the left side or in breech infants. Meaning: The screening timing, etiology, and risk factors for DDH in preterm infants are somewhat different from those in term infants. |
∙ Prevalence rate of developmental disabilities has been reported from 8% to 15% and its rate is increasing worldwide. ∙ The critical period of intervention for developmental delay is before the child reaches 3 years of age. ∙ All primary care pediatricians should conduct developmental surveillance and screening tests to infants and children at scheduled visits. Through this, they are liable for providing early identification and timely intervention. |
∙ The growth of preterm infants is a main focus of neonatology. ∙ Preterm infants in Korea, especially those with a very low birth weight, achieve retarded growth. ∙ Careful growth monitoring and early intervention will contribute to better development outcomes and quality of life for preterm infants and improve public health. |
Question: What are the primary motor and balance dysfunctions in children with Down syndrome? Finding: These individuals have gross delays, altered balance, and inefficient compensatory mechanisms. Meaning: Neuromuscular and musculoskeletal impairments due to the chromosomal abnormality lead to developmental delay. These children also exhibit poor balance with greater instability and inefficient compensatory mechanisms including altered center of pressure displacement and trunk stiffening that predisposes them to falls. |
· Obesity is strongly associated with the development and progression of chronic kidney disease. · Altered renal hemodynamics, metabolic effects, and lipid nephrotoxicity may play a key role in the development of obesity-related kidney disease. · Children born to obese mothers are at increased risk of developing obesity and chronic kidney disease later in life. · A multilevel approach is needed to prevent obesity and related chronic diseases. |
· Very low birth weight infants remain at high risk of developing neurodevelopmental impairments in early childhood. · It is important to establish a network follow-up protocol and complete assessments with fewer dropouts to enable clarification of the outcomes of registered infants. · All possible strategies should be employed to maintain good compliance after neonatal intensive care unit discharge. |
This review summarized the accumulated epidemiologic evidence with emphasis on studies conducted in Korea and heterogeneity in the literature. Based on systematic reviews and meta-analyses, there is consistent evidence on the association between exposure to ambient air pollution and children’s health, especially respiratory health and adverse birth outcomes, and growing evidence on neurodevelopmental outcomes. |
Question: Can the Korean Developmental Screening Test for Infants and Children (K-DST) be a useful screening tool for infants and children in Korea? Finding: The K-DST has high reliability (internal consistency of 0.73–0.93, test-retest reliability of 0.77–0.88) and a high discriminatory ability with a sensitivity of 0.833 and specificity of 0.979. Meaning: The K-DST is an effective and reliable screening tool for infants and children with neurodevelopmental disorders in Korea. |
Developments in next-generation sequencing (NGS) techogies have assisted in clarifying the diagnosis and treatment of developmental delay/intellectual disability (DD/ID) via molecular genetic testing. Advances in DNA sequencing technology have not only allowed the evolution of targeted panels but also, and more currently enabled genome-wide analyses to progress from research era to clinical practice. Broad acceptance of accuracy- guided targeted gene... |
Purpose: The importance of the neurodevelopmental outcomes of very-low-birth-weight (VLBW) infants has been emphasized as their mortality rate has markedly improved. This study aimed to assess the validity of the Korean Developmental Screening Test (K-DST), a developmental screening tool approved by the Korean Society of Pediatrics, for the timely diagnosis of neurodevelopmental delay in VLBW infants. Methods: Subjects included VLBW infants... |
To evaluate the usefulness of the Korean Developmental Screening Test (K-DST) for infants and children for developmental delay assessment. This study was based on retrospective studies of the results of the K-DST, Preschool Receptive-Expressive Language Scale (PRES), Sequenced Language Scale for Infants (SELSI), Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS), Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (M-CHAT), electroencephalography, magnetic resonance imaging, and extensive... |
Recent advancements in molecular techniques have greatly contributed to the discovery of genetic causes of unexplained developmental delay. Here, we describe the results of array comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) and the clinical features of 27 patients with global developmental delay. We included 27 children who fulfilled the following criteria: Korean children under 6 years with global developmental delay; children who had... |
Malformations of cortical development are rare congenital anomalies of the cerebral cortex, wherein patients present with intractable epilepsy and various degrees of developmental delay. Cases show a spectrum of anomalous cortical formations with diverse anatomic and morphological abnormalities, a variety of genetic causes, and different clinical presentations. Brain magnetic resonance imaging has been of great help in determining the exact... |
We investigated the number of test takers of the Korean-Developmental Screening Test (K-DST) in a single children's hospital within a year, according to age, referral rate, and follow-up percentage. For this study, 4,062 children who visited and received K-DST at Woorisoa Children's Hospital between January and December 2015 were enrolled. Seven test sets were used according to the Korean National Health... |
Pediatric epilepsy can be caused by various conditions, including specific syndromes. 1p36 deletion syndrome is reported in 1 in 5,000–10,000 newborns, and its characteristic clinical features include developmental delay, mental retardation, hypotonia, congenital heart defects, seizure, and facial dysmorphism. However, detection of the terminal deletion in chromosome 1p by conventional G-banded karyotyping is difficult. Here we present a case of... |
We report the case of a 22-month-old boy with a new mosaic partial unbalanced translocation of 1q and 18q. The patient was referred to our Pediatric Department for developmental delay. He showed mild facial dysmorphism, physical growth retardation, a hearing disability, and had a history of patent ductus arteriosus. White matter abnormality on brain magnetic resonance images was also noted.... |
The 1p36 deletion syndrome is a microdeletion syndrome characterized by developmental delays/intellectual disability, craniofacial dysmorphism, and other congenital anomalies. To date, many cases of this syndrome have been reported worldwide. However, cases with this syndrome have not been reported in Korean populations anywhere. This study was performed to report the clinical and molecular characteristics of five Korean patients with the... |
Nephrogenesis is normally accompanied by a tightly regulated and efficient vascularization. We investigated the effect of angiotensin II inhibition on angiogenesis in the developing rat kidney. Newborn rat pups were treated with enalapril (30 mg/kg/day) or vehicle (control) for 7 days after birth. Renal histological changes were checked using Hematoxylin & Eosin staining. We also investigated the intrarenal expression of vascular... |