Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40723119›Full record

ArticleChildren (Basel, Switzerland)2025

Cognitive, Behavioral, and Learning Profiles of Children with Above-Average Cognitive Functioning: Insights from an Italian Clinical Sample.

Daniela Pia Rosaria Chieffo, Valentina Arcangeli, Valentina Delle Donne, Giulia Settimi, Valentina Massaroni, Angelica Marfoli, Monia Pellizzari, Ida Turrini, Elisa Marconi, Laura Monti and 4 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Children (Basel, Switzerland), 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

14 authors.

Daniela Pia Rosaria ChieffoClinical Psychology Unit, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, Largo Francesco Vito 1, 00168 Rome, Italy.ORCID 0000-0002-0130-6584
Valentina ArcangeliClinical Psychology Unit, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, Largo Francesco Vito 1, 00168 Rome, Italy.
Valentina Delle DonneClinical Psychology Unit, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, Largo Francesco Vito 1, 00168 Rome, Italy.ORCID 0000-0002-0592-2747
Giulia SettimiClinical Psychology Unit, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, Largo Francesco Vito 1, 00168 Rome, Italy.
Valentina MassaroniFaculty of Medicine and Surgery, Department of Health Science and Public Health, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, 20123 Rome, Italy.ORCID 0000-0001-8222-4961
Angelica MarfoliComplex Operational Unit of Clinical and Emergency Psychiatry, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, 00168 Rome, Italy.
Monia PellizzariClinical Psychology Unit, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, Largo Francesco Vito 1, 00168 Rome, Italy.
Ida TurriniComplex Operational Unit of Child Neuropsychiatry, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, 00168 Rome, Italy.
Elisa MarconiClinical Psychology Unit, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, Largo Francesco Vito 1, 00168 Rome, Italy.ORCID 0000-0001-6722-8390
Laura MontiClinical Psychology Unit, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, Largo Francesco Vito 1, 00168 Rome, Italy.
Federica MoriconiClinical Psychology Unit, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, Largo Francesco Vito 1, 00168 Rome, Italy.
Delfina JaniriComplex Operational Unit of Clinical and Emergency Psychiatry, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, 00168 Rome, Italy.
Gabriele SaniComplex Operational Unit of Clinical and Emergency Psychiatry, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, 00168 Rome, Italy.
Eugenio Maria MercuriComplex Operational Unit of Child Neuropsychiatry, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, 00168 Rome, Italy.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

BACKGROUND/

objectivesChildren with above-average cognitive functioning often present complex developmental profiles, combining high cognitive potential with heterogeneous socio-emotional and learning trajectories. Although the cognitive and behavioral characteristics of giftedness have been widely studied in Anglophone countries, evidence remains limited in Southern Europe. This study aimed to investigate the cognitive, academic, and emotional-behavioral profiles of Italian children and adolescents with above-average cognitive functioning, using an inclusive, dimensional approach (IQ > 114).

methodsWe analyzed a cross-sectional sample of 331 children and adolescents (ages 2.11-16.5 years), referred for clinical cognitive or behavioral evaluations. Participants were assessed using the WPPSI-III or WISC-IV for cognitive functioning, the MT battery for academic achievement, and the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) for emotional and behavioral symptoms. Comparative and correlational analyses were performed across age, gender, and functional domains. A correction for multiple testing was applied using the Benjamini-Hochberg procedure.

resultsGifted participants showed strong verbal comprehension (mean VCI: preschoolers = 118; school-aged = 121) and relative weaknesses in working memory (WM = 106) and processing speed (PS = 109). Males outperformed females in perceptual reasoning (PR = 121 vs. 118;

conclusionsThese findings confirm the heterogeneity of gifted profiles and underscore the need for personalized educational and psychological interventions to support both strengths and vulnerabilities in gifted children. Caution is warranted when interpreting these associations, given their modest effect sizes and the exploratory nature of the study.

Indexed as

above-average cognitive functioningchild psychologyclinical neuropsychologycognitive assessmentexecutive functionsinternalizing symptomslearning difficultiesMT batterytwice-exceptionalityWechsler scales

Identifiers

PMID40723119
PMCPMC12293728

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.