Learning and behaviour in children Nutritional, Metabolic, Endocrine Specific developmental disorders of scholastic skills
Conditions
Interventions
The active intervention will consist of 3 x 500 mg capsules per day orally, each capsule providing 200 mg of DHA as a triglyceride. The liquid fill contains DHASCO®-S oil derived from the microalgae S
Sponsors
University of Oxford (UK)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Inclusion criteria
Inclusion criteria: 1. Children (both males and females) aged 7 - 9 years from mainstream state schools who are underperforming in literacy skills according to nationally standardised assessments of scholastic achievement at age 7 years (Key Stage 1). To be eligible, children must score below the 33rd centile for reading/writing, but within the normal range in at least one other domain. 2. English as a first language
Exclusion criteria
Exclusion criteria: 1. Major learning disabilities or medical disorders 2. Taking medications expected to affect behaviour and learning 3. Taking fish oils already, or eating fish two times or more a week
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| Children's age-standardised scores for behaviour (teacher ratings of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder [ADHD]-type symptoms) and learning (reading performance and working memory), assessed post-intervention. The following validated measures will be used: 1. Conners Teacher and Parent Ratings (CTRS-L and CPRS-L) 2. British Ability Scale (BAS II): Word reading 3. British Ability Scale (BAS II): Recall of Digits | — |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| Correlations between changes in omega-3 (DHA) status and the primary outcomes plus any post-intervention changes in sleep (Combined Sleep Disturbance Index, and in 10% subset monitored objectively with actigraphy, sleep latency and duration). | — |
Countries
United Kingdom
Outcome results
None listed