Our findings give additional support to the recent changes made in the DSM-5, including the introduction of the "performance only" specifier and the removal of the "generalized" specifier to promote the dimensional approach of the number of social fears.

No abstract

Children with ADHD show poor motor control. The aim of the present study was to test whether children with ADHD improved their motor performances (oculomotor as well as posture) after a short visuopostural training period. Two groups (G1 trained and G2 non-trained), each comprising 15 children with ADHD matched in IQ (intelligence quotient), sex, and age, participated in the study. Eye movements and postural sway were measured before (T1) and after (T2) 10 min of visuopostural training for the trained group and after 10 min of resting for the non-trained group. Training consisted of a visual search task performed while the child was standing on an unstable platform. At T1, oculomotor and postural abilities were statistically similar for both groups of children with ADHD (trained and non-trained). At T2, significant improvements in both oculomotor and postural capabilities were observed for the trained group but not for the non-trained group. These findings suggest that a short visuopostural training period could help children with ADHD to learn how to focus their visual attention in order to improve motor performance. Visuopostural training could allow a better integration of sensory inputs via central mechanisms, leading to improvement in both oculomotor and postural control. Further studies on a larger number of children with ADHD will be needed to confirm these findings and explore the eventual possible persistence of the training effect.

COVID-19 outbreak caused severe disruptions in daily life, partly due to limitations implemented to prevent the spreading. In France, it included school closures during a national lockdown, then a reopening of schools, with access depending on viral status of students and teachers. Those changes had an impact on children's mental health. We conducted an online cross-sectional study using a parental self-administered survey in December 2021 to explore the emotional and behavioral changes (EBC) during this 5th wave (W5) and retrospectively since the first one (W1) in their children and their multidimensionality with principal factor analysis (PCA) and stability analysis. Out of 4552 parent responders, 62.4% (n = 2839) noticed negative EBC during W1 and 54.1% (n = 2462) during W5 of the pandemic. Only 10.0% of the responders noticed negative EBC at W1 but not during the W5. In younger children (3–6 years old) with significant EBC, PCA revealed three main dimensions at W1 and W5: restlessness, depression and anxiety. In older children (7–13 years old), PCA showed partially similar dimensions: depression-suicidality, anxiety and withdrawal. Almost all correlations between dimensions at W1 and W5 were significantly positive. Every EBC was stable across waves, except for one. Recall bias concerning the EBC during W1 and lack of data concerning parental mental health should be taken into account. Our stability analysis found a strong correlation between dimensions at W1 and W5. Our results highlighted the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on children's mental health and the predictive aspect of its early deterioration.