The studies described in this dissertation focus on children with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) in special education. It was found that poor academic performance, relational problems... Show moreThe studies described in this dissertation focus on children with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) in special education. It was found that poor academic performance, relational problems between children and caregivers, and the age at which youth care was involved for the first time predicted placement in a more restrictive special educational setting over placement in a regular school. No differences in progress outcomes regarding behavioral functioning and academic performance of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in special schools and regular schools were found. Providing emotional support to children with ADHD and ASD proved to be related to positive behavioral outcomes. Poor family functioning was associated with continuity of internalizing problem behavior of children with EBD in the classroom. On the other hand, externalizing problem beh avior in the classroom was associated with continuity of poor family functioning Show less
This thesis covers a variety of topics around the central theme of pharmacological research involving children, with a specific focus on the development of minimally invasive methodology that can... Show moreThis thesis covers a variety of topics around the central theme of pharmacological research involving children, with a specific focus on the development of minimally invasive methodology that can be employed in future studies involving children. Children form a unique group within the area of pharmacological research and pharmacotherapy. The heterogeneity even within this group is large, covering the range of preterm neonates weighing 500 grams up to adolescents. Obviously, therapeutic needs change across this range, as among others disease epidemiology, drug disposition, pharmacodynamic response, and suitable drug formulations change with age. The same holds true for the design of drug trials involving children: where pharmacokinetics in adults can be studied simply by recruiting a number of healthy volunteers, such a study with a number of healthy toddlers is clearly not feasible and not acceptable. Therefore, approaches and new methodology are needed to circumvent these issues. Show less
