Papers by Dr. Kamlam Gopalkrishnan iyer
Indian journal of mental health, Jul 31, 2022
The phenomenon of autism, as in known today, has a history with several vicissitudes. Contemporar... more The phenomenon of autism, as in known today, has a history with several vicissitudes. Contemporary students and practitioners unconnected with its history are unlikely to see the larger picture. This article seeks to outline the timeline of autism before narrowing it into various controversial themes, unresolved issues, and unanswered questions on autism. The themes revolve around the disputed construct of autism, its meaning, definition, characteristics, theories, and official classifications. Equally debated are matters related to epidemiology, causes, and treatments for autism. There is disagreement whether autism is a disorder or a difference. The claims of freaks, exceptional prodigies, and savants in autism, the role of genetics, notions of posthumous diagnosis, commercialization, and commodification of autism in the media are raised. Raising controversies can lead to constructive discussion or further reflection than attempting to answer them.
Innovare Journal of Education
Disability experience need not always bring up negativity. The quality of life, satisfaction, and... more Disability experience need not always bring up negativity. The quality of life, satisfaction, and well-being of such people can be positive, optimistic, hopeful, and marked with independence, healthy coping skills, strong resilience, and self-determination. This narrative seeks to break the perception gap between public perception and the private inner experience of affected persons by outlining a few threads of positivity within the realm of disability. Heavily tilted towards rights-based models, person-in-environment social and cultural aspects of the disability experience are taken into account, while the use of positive rather than negative emotions is explained. Finally, before inviting more empirical attention to this neglected field of study, mention is made of the sparse research related to this area.
International Journal of Indian Psychology, Dec 25, 2019
Standardized psychometric instruments used in clinical settings require periodic revalidation and... more Standardized psychometric instruments used in clinical settings require periodic revalidation and recalibration of its norm to prevent obsolescence. The original Indian adaptation for Bombay-Karnatak Version of Binet-Simon Intelligence Scales on Dharwad children, developed in the 1930s, revalidated in the 1960s, was again reappraised in 2002 only. The time is ripe for undertaking another round of relook into this continually popular instrument for the assessment of intelligence in Indian children. This study seeks to undertake a contemporary appraisal of 1967 visa -vis its 2002 version of the age scale for its stability or power for intellectual estimation item analysis, inter-correlation between Basal Age (BA), Terminal Age (TA), Mental Age (MA) and Intelligence Quotient (IQ) measures. A random sample of 42 primary school children from private schools in the age group of 6 to 8 years (Mean Age: 6.7 years; SD: 0.51) from Urban, High SocioEconomic (HSE) family background in Bangalore, Karnataka, India, were enlisted. The results depict a shift in sample Mean IQ derived from the present sample using Bombay-Karnatak Intelligence Scale (1967) norms as compared to that of (2002) norms. Further, the trend in the scores depicts similar direction, pointing to the resilience of this instrument even after decades of use. A major limitation of this study is the small sample size. A try-out on a larger heterogenous group of children for item analysis would make this scale a more robust measure of intelligence for our population.
This study seeks to identify parental prenatal, perinatal and postnatal risk factors of Neurodeve... more This study seeks to identify parental prenatal, perinatal and postnatal risk factors of Neurodevelopmental Disorders (NDD) in comparison to Typically Developing (TD) children, all from high Socioeconomic Status (SES) families. A unified definition of NDD in terms of delays in development was employed for the purpose of this study. SES was understood as an important variable in the context of NDD. We employed a cross-sectional/comparative two-group survey design. It included parents of 60 children: 32 children with NDD and 28 children with TD. The developmental assessment was conducted for all the children for their classification into NDD and TD groups. Results depicted significant differences in the family history of mental illness or NDD, perinatal factors rather than prenatal and postnatal factors. On measures of association and variance, composite perinatal factors were observed to have a small effect on NDD, while the pre and postnatal showed a negligible impact. The interpreta...
IJAR - Indian Journal of Applied Research, 2020
Parenting is dened as a process of raising children with protection and care to ensure their hea... more Parenting is dened as a process of raising children with protection and care to ensure their healthy development . Many domains of skills are required for a parent such as sociocognitive, social, self-control, problem-solving, and stress management . Hence parenting is complex, and not unitary requiring many behavioral processes, physiological and brain systems working together in general . Just like any other neuropsychological constructs, Executive Functions (EF) are also wide-ranging and multidimensional. Many functions such as prioritizing and sequencing of behavior, inhibiting familiar or stereotyped behaviors, maintaining a mental set or an idea of what task or information is needed at any moment, ignoring tasks that are irrelevant or distracting, switching between various relevant information, categorizing, multitasking different situations or information are included in the term of EF . Frequently, parental EF has been discussed in the context of typical children. It is important as it impacts parental behaviors and their abilities to support and rear a child. EF makes parents generate new ideas, adapt quickly to a child's environment or situations, plan actions, avoid other distractions, and stay focused on the task with the child at hand ). An illustration of a typical parent of young children in the age group of 3 to 10 years is given as follows. Mrs. I, as a mother of two young children, has a routine for homework and dinner preparation each weeknight by 6.30 pm. She thinks through all the items required for dinner preparation while understanding the Homework assignments of her young schoolers (working memory). Any television viewing, phone calls, or casual interaction with friends or family are avoided at this hour (inhibitory control). She works by switching attention from one child to another while taking note of cooking dinner (cognitive exibility). She comes up with new ideas to help the children understand the assignments and organizes resource materials (planning and organization) (Wilson and Gross, 2018).
Indian Journal of Mental Health
Indian Journal of Mental Health
IGI BOOKHOUSE, 2022
Mindfulness has been noticed in the domain of psychology and neuroscience for the last two decade... more Mindfulness has been noticed in the domain of psychology and neuroscience for the last two decades. With the plethora of studies based on interventional benefits of mindfulness-based techniques in various populations, the present review assesses if parent-child relationship studies effectively use mindfulnessbased interventions on parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The children are in the age group of below 5 years. The aspects of ASD, mindfulness techniques, and parent-child relationship importance are explored, albeit briefly. One study could be reviewed and was assessed for its treatment fidelity. The conclusion was based on the need to conduct more mindfulness-based intervention studies for the parent population of children in the younger ages and with ASD. This review recommends such replication of studies on the parents of the Indian subcontinent as well.
Handbook of Research on Clinical Applications of Meditation and Mindfulness-Based Interventions in Mental Health
Mindfulness has been noticed in the domain of psychology and neuroscience for the last two decade... more Mindfulness has been noticed in the domain of psychology and neuroscience for the last two decades. With the plethora of studies based on interventional benefits of mindfulness-based techniques in various populations, the present review assesses if parent-child relationship studies effectively use mindfulness-based interventions on parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The children are in the age group of below 5 years. The aspects of ASD, mindfulness techniques, and parent-child relationship importance are explored, albeit briefly. One study could be reviewed and was assessed for its treatment fidelity. The conclusion was based on the need to conduct more mindfulness-based intervention studies for the parent population of children in the younger ages and with ASD. This review recommends such replication of studies on the parents of the Indian subcontinent as well.
Indian Journal of Mental Health, 2020
Research recruitment and attrition on subjects are challenges for all population groups, methods,... more Research recruitment and attrition on subjects are challenges for all population groups, methods, and designs and across all disciplines [1]. Moreover, recruitment and consent for participation in clinical studies are understood to be important to a nation as well [2]. While we generally see data published and its results on the consented participants, very little is written of the reasons for non-consent of the participants in a clinical neuropsychological study. The goal of this paper was to examine the factors that delineate the consenting versus the non-consenting subjects for a neuropsychological study involving parents of children with Neurodevelopmental Disorders (NDD) and those who are typically developing (TD). NDD arises due to impairments in the developing brain and/or central nervous system [3]. They originate during the developmental period and are characterized by a delay or disturbance in the acquisition of skills under various domains such as motor, sensory, speech, and language, social & cognition; presented in heterogeneous conditions such as Attention-Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Vision Impairment (VI), Epilepsy (Epi), Neuromotor Impairments such as Cerebral Palsy (NMI-CP), Hearing Impairment (HI), Speech and Language Disorders and Intellectual Disability (ID) [4].
The International Journal of Indian Psychology, 2019
Standardized psychometric instruments used in clinical settings require periodic revalidation and... more Standardized psychometric instruments used in clinical settings require periodic revalidation and recalibration of its norm to prevent obsolescence. The original Indian adaptation for Bombay-Karnatak Version of Binet-Simon Intelligence Scales on Dharwad children, developed in the 1930s, revalidated in the 1960s, was again reappraised in 2002 only. The time is ripe for undertaking another round of relook into this continually popular instrument for the assessment of intelligence in Indian children. This study seeks to undertake a contemporary appraisal of 1967 visa -vis its 2002 version of the age scale for its stability or power for intellectual estimation item analysis, inter-correlation between Basal Age (BA), Terminal Age (TA), Mental Age (MA) and Intelligence Quotient (IQ) measures. A random sample of 42 primary school children from private schools in the age group of 6 to 8 years (Mean Age: 6.7 years; SD: 0.51) from Urban, High SocioEconomic (HSE) family background in Bangalore, Karnataka, India, were enlisted. The results depict a shift in sample Mean IQ derived from the present sample using Bombay-Karnatak Intelligence Scale (1967) norms as compared to that of (2002) norms. Further, the trend in the scores depicts similar direction, pointing to the resilience of this instrument even after decades of use. A major limitation of this study is the small sample size. A try-out on a larger heterogenous group of children for item analysis would make this scale a more robust measure of intelligence for our population.
Indian Journal of Psychology and Education, 2020
Working memory (WM) as one of the components of Executive Functions (EF) has been studied in pare... more Working memory (WM) as one of the components of Executive Functions (EF) has been studied in parents in the context of endophenotypes of children with Neurodevelopmental Disorders (NDD). But the examination of such cognitive functions that are pertinent for effective parenting skills in this group of parents has been limited. This study aims at understanding WM and what they reveal about parenting when examined on parents of children with NDD visa -vis a control group of parents with children who are typically developing (TD). NDD is defined in a novel unitary approach. Hence a cross-sectional two-group design was employed with 54 parents of the NDD group and 45 parents of the TD group, where all their children had homogeneous demographic characteristics except their developmental status. Parents were recruited using purposive and snowball sampling techniques. The parents had no psychiatric morbidity or cognitive impairments and belonged to high socioeconomic status (SES). N-back and Spatial span tasks were administered. Results revealed a significant difference in most of the n-back tasks but none in spatial span tasks between the groups. Task nature and their relevance in normal and clinical groups of adults were discussed with implications in parenting.
Indian Journal of Applied Research, 2020
Parenting is dened as a process of raising children with protection and care to ensure their hea... more Parenting is dened as a process of raising children with protection and care to ensure their healthy development (Kretchmar-Hendricks, 2017). Many domains of skills are required for a parent such as sociocognitive, social, self-control, problem-solving, and stress management (Azar, 2002). Hence parenting is complex, and not unitary requiring many behavioral processes, physiological and brain systems working together in general (Barrett & Fleming, 2011). Just like any other neuropsychological constructs, Executive Functions (EF) are also wide-ranging and multidimensional. Many functions such as prioritizing and sequencing of behavior, inhibiting familiar or stereotyped behaviors, maintaining a mental set or an idea of what task or information is needed at any moment, ignoring tasks that are irrelevant or distracting, switching between various relevant information, categorizing, multitasking different situations or information are included in the term of EF (Banich, 2009). Frequently, parental EF has been discussed in the context of typical children. It is important as it impacts parental behaviors and their abilities to support and rear a child. EF makes parents generate new ideas, adapt quickly to a child's environment or situations, plan actions, avoid other distractions, and stay focused on the task with the child at hand (Wilson & Gross, 2018). An illustration of a typical parent of young children in the age group of 3 to 10 years is given as follows. Mrs. I, as a mother of two young children, has a routine for homework and dinner preparation each weeknight by 6.30 pm. She thinks through all the items required for dinner preparation while understanding the Homework assignments of her young schoolers (working memory). Any television viewing, phone calls, or casual interaction with friends or family are avoided at this hour (inhibitory control). She works by switching attention from one child to another while taking note of cooking dinner (cognitive exibility). She comes up with new ideas to help the children understand the assignments and organizes resource materials (planning and organization) (Wilson and Gross, 2018).
Innovare Journal of Education, 2020
This study seeks to identify parental prenatal, perinatal and postnatal risk factors of Neurodeve... more This study seeks to identify parental prenatal, perinatal and postnatal risk factors of Neurodevelopmental Disorders (NDD) in comparison to Typically Developing (TD) children, all from high Socioeconomic Status (SES) families. A unified definition of NDD in terms of delays in development was employed for the purpose of this study. SES was understood as an important variable in the context of NDD. We employed a cross-sectional/comparative two-group survey design. It included parents of 60 children: 32 children with NDD and 28 children with TD. The developmental assessment was conducted for all the children for their classification into NDD and TD groups. Results depicted significant differences in the family history of mental illness or NDD, perinatal factors rather than prenatal and postnatal factors. On measures of association and variance, composite perinatal factors were observed to have a small effect on NDD, while the pre and postnatal showed a negligible impact. The interpretation and its application for improving the prevalence of NDD in high SES families in an Indian urban setup were discussed.
Few studies from India have undertaken research on neurocognitive endophenotypes in neurodevelopm... more Few studies from India have undertaken research on neurocognitive endophenotypes in neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD). Hence, the study's the researchers'objective was to assess one of the criterion of a neurocognitive endophenotype-heritability. This study assesses an association between the children with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD) and their first-degree relatives (FDR)-parents in working memory (WM) performance, using a framework of a unified definition of NDD. Additionally, differences in gender of parents in WM performance were assessed. A two-group cross-sectional design with 42 probands of NDD and their 54 parents (both mothers and fathers) were assessed on a similar WM battery of tests. Correlation between probands and parents and between mothers and fathers yielded no significant differences in their respective WM performance. The need for better statistical, methodological measures in the hands of an isolated researcher was highlighted along with the discussion in light of the concept of an endophenotype.
Disability, CBR & Inclusive Development
JOURNAL OF PSYCHOLOGY
Few studies from India have undertaken research on neurocognitive endophenotypes in neurodevelopm... more Few studies from India have undertaken research on neurocognitive endophenotypes in neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD). Hence, the researchers'objective was to assess one of the criterion of a neurocognitive endophenotype-heritability. This study assesses an association between the children with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD) and their first-degree relatives (FDR)-parents in working memory (WM) performance, using a framework of a unified definition of NDD. Additionally, differences in gender of parents in WM performance were assessed. A two-group cross-sectional design with 42 probands of NDD and their 54 parents (both mothers and fathers) were assessed on a similar WM battery of tests. Correlation between probands and parents and between mothers and fathers yielded no significant differences in their respective WM performance. The need for better statistical, methodological measures in the hands of an isolated researcher was highlighted along with the discussion in light of the concept of an endophenotype.
A bibliometric review of executive function as cognitive endophenotypes in parents of children with neurodevelopmental disorders., 2020
Purpose: The main aim of this study was to review whether first-degree relatives (parents) and th... more Purpose: The main aim of this study was to review whether first-degree relatives (parents) and their children with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD) are cognitive endophenotypes in executive functioning. Method: A survey design was employed from May 2018 to January 2019, using an online and offline database of national and international ISSN Journals and ISBN books. Results: A bibliometric analysis was conducted on 19 of the 63 reviewed studies. A PRISMA Flow diagram and Harvest Plot have been used to depict the results of the analysis Conclusion and Implications: Delineation of executive functions (EF) as cognitive endophenotypes of NDD is, first of all, useful in exploring the genetic basis of these disorders; secondly, for identifying which cognitive traits may be important to it; and thirdly, to initiate and promote better educational practices and cognitive remediation. With a disclaimer that this analysis is only as inclusive as possible in the field of endophenotypes in NDD, limitations in the various studies have been identified, along with future suggestions for research.
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Papers by Dr. Kamlam Gopalkrishnan iyer