Executive Function In Young Children Research Articles

Connectivity of the Superior Longitudinal Fasciculus II and Executive Function in Children with ADHD

Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common childhood neurodevelopmental disorder marked by inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsiveness. The importance of the Superior Longitudinal Fasciculus II (SLFII), a white matter tract connecting the frontal and parietal regions, to developing executive function has not been established in children who typically have executive function deficits. The present study explored the association between diffusion properties of the SLFII and developing executive function in young children diagnosed with ADHD. A dataset with the performance on the NIH Toolbox Card Sort and the NIH Toolbox Flanker, two executive function tasks, in 59 4-7-year-old children was used, and diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging scans were used to quantify the white matter properties of the bilateral SLFII. The results showed that there was an association between age and performance on the Flanker and Card Sort tasks. As age increased, performance also improved. There was no significant association between white matter properties of the SLFII, birth sex, and the Card Sort and Flanker tasks. As the first study to explore this association in children of this age with ADHD, this result was unexpected suggesting that it may be the case that it is too early in development to detect a strong association. The findings inform contemporary and future investigations into the brain-behavior relations between SLFII and executive function in children with ADHD. With further research, neuroimaging could become a potential diagnostic biomarker for predicting executive function impairments and ADHD symptoms in young children, potentially altering treatment outcomes.

The Head-Toes-Knees-Shoulders Revised: Links to Academic Outcomes and Measures of EF in Young Children.

The measurement of self-regulation in young children has been a topic of great interest as researchers and practitioners work to help ensure that children have the skills they need to succeed as they start school. The present study examined how a revised version of a commonly used measure of behavioral self-regulation, the Head-Toes-Knees-Shoulders task (HTKS) called the HTKS-R, and measures of executive function (EF) was related to academic outcomes between preschool and kindergarten (ages 4–6years) in a diverse sample of children from families with low income participating in Head Start in the United States. Participants included 318 children (53% female; 76% White; and 20% Latino/Hispanic) from 64 classrooms in 18 Head Start preschools who were followed over four time points between the fall of preschool and the spring of kindergarten. Results indicated that children with higher HTKS-R scores had significantly higher math and literacy scores at all-time points between preschool and kindergarten. The HTKS-R was also a more consistent predictor of math and literacy than individual EF measures assessing inhibitory control, working memory, and task shifting. Parallel process growth models indicated that children who had high initial scores on the HTKS-R also had relatively higher initial scores on math and literacy. In addition, growth in children’s scores on the HTKS-R across the preschool and kindergarten years was related to growth in both children’s math and literacy scores over the same period independent of their starting points on either measure. For the HTKS-R and math, children’s initial scores were negatively associated with growth over the preschool and kindergarten years indicating that lower skilled children at the start of preschool started to catch up to their more skilled peers by the end of kindergarten.

Relationship between cool and hot executive function in young children: A near-infrared spectroscopy study.

A theoretical distinction exists between the cool and hot aspects of executive function (EF). At the neural level, cool EF may be associated with activation in the lateral prefrontal cortex and the anterior cingulate cortex, whereas the orbitofrontal cortex may play a key role in hot EF. However, some recent studies have shown that young children show activity in the lateral prefrontal regions during hot EF tasks, suggesting that the distinction between hot and cool EF may not be as marked. Nevertheless, few neuroimaging studies have directly examined the relationship between cool and hot EF. In this study, preschool children (N=46, mean age=66.1 months) were given both cool (Dimensional Change Card Sort (DCCS) and Stroop-like tasks) and hot (delay of gratification) EF tasks, and neural activation during these tasks was measured using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). Correlational analyses and analysis of variance (ANOVA) were conducted to assess the relationship between cool and hot EF. At the behavioral level, a moderate correlation was found between DCCS and Stroop-like tasks, but no correlation emerged between cool and hot EF tasks. At the neural level, prefrontal activations during the cool EF tasks did not correlate with those during the hot EF task. Further, children showed stronger prefrontal activations during the DCCS tasks compared to the delay of gratification tasks. The results suggest that the neural basis of hot and cool EF may differ during early childhood.

Self-regulation task in young school age children born preterm: Correlation with early academic achievement

BackgroundChildren born preterm are at risk for difficulties in executive function (EF), however there are limited tools to assess EF in young children and it is not fully understood how these early deficits are related to emerging academic skills. AimsTo examine (a) early EF differences in young children born preterm, (b) how a measure of behavioral self-regulation correlates with other measures of EF in children born preterm, and (c) how this measure relates to academic outcomes in children born preterm. Study designLongitudinal cohort study. SubjectsThirty-three healthy children born preterm (25–32 weeks gestation) and 14 children born full term were assessed before starting kindergarten at age 5 and again at ages 6 and 7 years. Outcome measuresEach assessment included a measure of behavioral self-regulation, the Head Toes Knees Shoulders task (HTKS), performance-based measures of EF, parent rating scales of EF and behavior problems, a measure of motor ability, and academic measures. ResultsChildren born preterm performed worse on all measures of self-regulation, EF, parent-report, academic outcomes, and motor ability across time. The HTKS had weak to moderate correlations with parent-report and performance-based measures of EF, moderate to strong correlations with academic performance, and was not correlated with motor ability. ConclusionThis study shows the predictive value of early EF measures on functional academic outcomes and their potential as targets of effective interventions in this high-risk population.

Sleep, cognition and executive functioning in young children with cerebral palsy.

Children with cerebral palsy (CP) are at higher risk for sleep disturbances than their typically developing peers. In typically developing young children, lack of sufficient sleep results in deficits in cognition, behavior and executive functioning. Unfortunately, research on sleep in infancy rarely focuses on children with neurodevelopmental disabilities. Studies of older children with CP demonstrate that roughly half of children with CP have a sleep disorder, though screening for sleep disorders in children with CP is not routinely performed. Given the high prevalence of sleep abnormalities in older children with CP and the resulting adverse effects on functioning, understanding sleep derangements and how they affect cognition and executive functioning in these children at earlier ages is critical. In this chapter, we present the state of the evidence for sleep characteristics, cognition and executive functions for infants and toddlers 0-3years old with CP.

Executive functions in 7-year-old children of parents with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder compared with controls: The Danish High Risk and Resilience Study-VIA 7, a population-based cohort study.

Cognitive impairments are strongly associated with schizophrenia (SZ) and bipolar disorder (BP) with executive functions (EF) impairments as a likely key feature. Studies of everyday behavior rated EF in young children at familial high risk of SZ (FHR-SZ) are scarce and, to our knowledge, non-existent in young children at familial high risk of BP (FHR-BP). We aimed to compare everyday behavior-rated EF of FHR-SZ, FHR-BP, and control children. A nationwide population-based cohort of 522 7-year-old children with parents diagnosed with either SZ (N = 202) or BP (N = 120) and matched controls (N = 200) were recruited using the Danish national registries. The children's EF were assessed with the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Functions questionnaire rated by primary caregivers and teachers. According to primary caregiver assessments, FHR-SZ children displayed widespread EF impairments and had an odds ratio of 3.7 (2.0-6.9) of having clinically significant global EF impairments compared to controls. FHR-BP children were most severely impaired regarding EF related to emotional control and had an odds ratio of 2.5 (1.2-5.1) of clinically significant global EF impairments compared to controls. Teacher assessments were overall comparable to primary caregiver assessments but teachersrated more difficulties in the FHR-SZ group than primary caregivers. Already at age 7, children with a parental history of SZ or BP displayed significant impairments of EF in everyday-life situations. FHR-SZ children displayed widespread significant impairments of EF, whereas FHR-BP children were most severely impaired on emotional control. Clinicians should be aware of potential EF impairments in FHR children.

Effects of social and nonsocial reward on executive function in preschoolers.

IntroductionExecutive function, a set of higher order cognitive skills underlying goal‐directed behaviors, develops rapidly during preschool years. Reward increases executive function engagement in adolescents and adults. However, there is still a scarcity of data on how reward affects executive function in young children. The present study examines whether different incentive types contribute differently to executive function performance and neural activity in children.MethodsTwenty‐five preschoolers of 5–6 years old were provided an incentive Go/No‐go task, comparing social, nonsocial, and nonreward conditions. Activations in the prefrontal regions during the tasks were measured using functional near‐infrared spectroscopy.ResultsThe results revealed that social reward enhanced right prefrontal activations in young children. In contrast to adult literature, younger children did not show any significant differences in executive function performance across conditions.ConclusionThis study expands our understanding of motivation and EF engagement in preschoolers. Specifically, social reward enhanced prefrontal activations in young children. The implications and recommendations for future research are discussed.

Twice Upon a Mind: Preschoolers’ Narrative Processing of Electronic and Printed Stories

Advanced technology and the shift to a digital childhood have dramatically reshaped children’s early life experiences. Children’s literacy experiences are also evolving; in addition to printed storybooks, children are now exposed to electronic stories (e-stories). While previous studies have addressed the effects of e-stories on children’s comprehension, little attention has been devoted to the roles of theory of mind (ToM) and executive functions (EF) in this process. The goal of the present study is to expand our current understanding of the roles of ToM and EF in young children’s narrative processing of e-stories and printed stories. The participants consisted of 196 children who were five years of age. A matched comparison group design was used. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses were conducted to test the predictive power of ToM and EF for young children’s story comprehension after controlling for receptive vocabulary. A hierarchical multiple regression model accounted for 63% of the total variance in printed story comprehension and ToM had a higher predictive power. In relation to e-stories, EF had a higher predictive power, and the three predictors accounted for 66% of the total variance in story comprehension. The initial findings suggest narrative processes in e-stories are more related to EF and probably require more complex cognitive competencies. Thus, designers should create developmentally appropriate and well-designed e-stories that facilitate both story comprehension and EF.

Immediate impact of fantastical television content on children's executive functions.

Recent research has suggested that particular content of television programmes, such as watching fantastical scenes, can have negative consequences on cognitive functions in young children. We examined the effects of watching fantastical programmes on executive functions measured at both pre- and post-television viewing. Eighty 5- to 6-year-old children participated and were randomized into either fantastical or non-fantastical conditions. They completed inhibition, working memory, cognitive flexibility, and planning tasks both before and after watching either the brief fantastical or non-fantastical television clip. Whilst there were no differences between the groups at pre-test on any of the cognitive measures, children in the fantastical condition were poorer on inhibition, working memory, and cognitive flexibility tasks at the post-test session. Watching fantastical television content, even briefly, seems to disrupt cognitive function performance in young children across a broad range of aspects of executive function. Statement of contribution What is already known on this subject? Exposure to fantastical content within a television programme may impair executive functions in young children. What does this study add? Exposure to fantastical content within television programmes impairs executive functions in children of early primary school age. Impairment extends to all three core aspects of executive functions. Watching fantastical clips slows down planning performance without improving accuracy.

Measuring Young Children's Executive Function and Self-Regulation in Classrooms and Other Real-World Settings.

A number of different approaches are currently used for assessing young children's executive function (EF) and self-regulation (SR) skills. Nevertheless, guidance for stakeholders aiming to assess EF and SR in real-world settings (e.g., preschool classrooms) is currently lacking. In the present article, I review the properties, strengths, and weaknesses of three common approaches to EF and SR measurement: direct assessments, adult reports, and observational tools. Building on this general review, I next highlight several considerations specific to EF and SR measurement of young children in everyday contexts. In particular, I consider the ecological validity, interpretability, and scalability of each approach to EF and SR measurement, concluding with future directions for research.

Early executive functioning in a global context: Developmental continuity and family protective factors.

This study extends the methodological and theoretical understanding of executive functions (EFs) in preschoolers from low- and middle-income countries (LMIC). First, the authors describe a rigorous process of adapting and evaluating six EF tasks to produce a culturally and developmentally appropriate measure of emerging EFs in a large sample of at-risk children in rural Pakistan. Next, the authors identify critical developmental and family factors that relate to preschoolers' EFs over the first 4years of life. Direct assessment of children's general cognitive skills at age two showed developmental continuity with EFs at age four, and these early cognitive skills mediated the effect of an antecedent parenting intervention on EFs as well as associations of targeted individual and family factors with EFs. Furthermore, directly assessed maternal cognitive capacities and observed maternal scaffolding uniquely predicted EFs in preschoolers. This study is also the first to demonstrate a significant overlap between direct assessments of IQ and EFs in young children from LMIC. Children's general intelligence mediated the associations of EFs with antecedent physical growth and cognitive skills as well as concurrent family factors (maternal verbal intelligence, maternal scaffolding, and home stimulation). After controlling for shared variance between preschoolers' general intelligence and EFs, three factors emerged as unique predictors of EFs: exposure to an early parenting intervention, physical growth status at age two, and number of older siblings. The findings have important implications for the design of interventions that aim to improve EFs in young children in LMIC. A video abstract of this article can be viewed at https://vimeo.com/316329544/5abde94cd7.

The Relationship Between Young Children's Executive Function and Arithmetic Story Problem Solving Abilities

The Relationship Between Young Children's Executive Function and Arithmetic Story Problem Solving Abilities

A 6-year longitudinal study: Are maternal depressive symptoms and Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressant treatment during pregnancy associated with everyday measures of executive function in young children?

BackgroundBuilding on research reports that early and chronic exposure to maternal depressive symptoms (MDS) adversely affects children's developing executive function (EF), this longitudinal study examined whether exposure to MDS and Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressant treatment during pregnancy predicted individual differences in EF at school age. MethodsIn a longitudinal prospective cohort, maternal report of EF using the Behavior Rating Inventory of EF (BRIEF) was obtained from 139 children (77 females; non-exposed n = 88, SSRI exposed n = 51) at age 6 years. Clinician rated and self reports of MDS were also obtained spanning from the 2nd trimester to 6 years postpartum. ResultsHigher levels of MDS, especially at 3 years, were associated with poorer maternal reports of EF skills at 6 years. Associations between prenatal SSRI exposure and EF outcomes were not significant, even when controlling for maternal education and MDS at 3 years. ConclusionsPostnatal exposure to MDS adversely effects developing child EF, even when maternal symptoms were treated with an SSRI antidepressant.

Early Childhood Science and Engineering: Engaging Platforms for Fostering Domain-General Learning Skills

Early childhood science and engineering education offer a prime context to foster approaches-to-learning (ATL) and executive functioning (EF) by eliciting children’s natural curiosity about the world, providing a unique opportunity to engage children in hands-on learning experiences that promote critical thinking, problem solving, collaboration, persistence, and other adaptive domain-general learning skills. Indeed, in any science experiment or engineering problem, children make observations, engage in collaborative conversations with teachers and peers, and think flexibly to come up with predictions or potential solutions to their problem. Inherent to science and engineering is the idea that one learns from initial failures within an iterative trial-and-error process where children practice risk-taking, persistence, tolerance for frustration, and sustaining focus. Unfortunately, science and engineering instruction is typically absent from early childhood classrooms, and particularly so in programs that serve children from low-income families. However, our early science and engineering intervention research shows teachers how to build science and engineering instruction into activities that are already happening in their classrooms, which boosts their confidence and removes some of the stigma around science and engineering. In this paper, we discuss the promise of research that uses early childhood science and engineering experiences as engaging, hands-on, interactive platforms to instill ATL and EF in young children living below the poverty line. We propose that early childhood science and engineering offer a central theme that captures children’s attention and allows for integrated instruction across domain-general (ATL, EF, and social–emotional) and domain-specific (e.g., language, literacy, mathematics, and science) content, allowing for contextualized experiences that make learning more meaningful and captivating for children.

Impairments of executive function in young children referred to child psychiatric outpatient clinic.

Few studies have reported on the quantity and quality of executive function (EF) deficits in young children referred to child psychiatric outpatient clinic with multiple psychiatric symptoms. We evaluated the EF deficits with the Attention and Executive Function Rating Inventory-Preschool (ATTEX-P) filled out by day care teachers for 4- to 7-year-old clinical group ( n = 171) and reference group ( n = 709). Family background information was collected from all families by parent questionnaire. Diagnoses of the referred children were collected from medical records. Clinical group exhibited higher mean ranks across the ATTEX-P Total score and all nine subscales than reference group ( p < .001). Most of the children in the clinical group (58.5%) showed a significant amount of EF deficits (ATTEX-P Total score over clinical cut-off) including distractibility (55.6%) and impulsivity (53.8%) regardless of their diagnoses. In a multiple logistic regression model (controlling for age, gender and parental education), children in the clinical group had increased risk (odds ratio (OR)) = 10.6, 95% confidence interval (CI) = [6.88, 16.2], p < .001) for scoring over the clinical cut-off point on the ATTEX-P Total score. Assessment of EFs should be a routine part of the treatment plan in young children referred to child psychiatric outpatient clinic as it may guide the treatment choices.

Parent-reported executive functioning in young children treated for cancer

ABSTRACTIt is well known that children treated for cancer are at risk for cognitive and functional impairments. Such research is largely based on studies of late effects in school-aged or older children. However, far less is known about executive function weaknesses in preschool-aged children treated for cancer. Thus, the aim of this study was to examine executive functioning in a clinically referred sample of young oncology patients, and its association with broader domains of functioning. Data from 61 young children with cancer, who were referred for clinical cognitive evaluations, were abstracted and included in this study. Patients were 5.00 years of age (SD = 0.72) at assessment, 54.1% male, and two-thirds (63.9%) had been treated for brain tumors. Most executive functions were significantly discrepant from the mean, with 47.5% of preschoolers having parent-reported working memory concerns within the clinically significant range. There were no differences in executive functioning based on diagnosis or treatment status. Parent-reported executive functioning was strongly correlated with global intelligence and adaptive functioning, with some indices also associated with nonverbal problem solving and pre-academic skills. Ultimately, results indicate the presence of emerging weaknesses in executive functioning in young children with cancer, and add to a growing body of literature highlighting the potential cognitive and behavioral risks associated with a cancer diagnosis in early childhood.

Sibling presence, executive function, and the role of parenting

AbstractSiblings offer a unique context for practising skills such as executive function (EF). Further, siblings are influential agents in parenting practices, which may, in turn, be related to EF. The current study investigated the extent to which the presence of a sibling is related to parent‐reported EF in preschoolers and whether the presence of a sibling is indirectly related to EF through global parenting practices. Participants included children 30 to 60 months old and their caregivers (n = 505). Caregivers indicated that target children were predominately White (n = 354, 72%) and African American (n = 51, 10%), with the remaining participants representing multiple other racial categories (23%). Caregivers reported on parenting characteristics, their child's EF, and demographic information. Analyses revealed a negative association between sibling presence and parent‐reported EF. Initial analyses suggested that sibling presence was indirectly related to EF through a broad measure of global parenting practices; however, Follow‐up analyses indicated that when the global parenting practices scale was broken down into distinct parenting practices (e.g., warmth), indirect effects were not significant. These findings begin to clarify the influence of parenting behaviours and sibling presence in the home on young children's EF, suggesting that continued research is necessary to further elucidate these relations.Highlights Researchers investigated the relation between sibling presence and executive function and if global parenting practices were important in the association. Caregivers reported on their child, revealing that having a sibling was associated with lower executive function. Executive function is an important predictor of numerous developmental outcomes; research must replicate our findings and continue to explore the mechanisms through which siblings may be impacting children's executive function development.

A head-to-toes approach to computerized testing of executive functioning in young children

The Head-Toes-Knees-Shoulders (HTKS) task is a commonly used measure of executive functioning (EF) designed for use with young children. Substantial associations between the HTKS task and early academic skills and behavioral outcomes have consistently been reported. Although the HTKS task is a useful measure of EF for young children, the original version of the task has a number of limitations, including ceiling effects toward the end of kindergarten, potential motivational issues with older children, and the possibility of errors in administration and scoring due to the live administration of the task. Lonigan (2013) developed a computerized version of the HTKS task (HTKS-c) as a means of addressing these issues. This study examined the construct, convergent, and divergent validity of the HTKS-c task with important developmental outcomes, to determine its utility as a measure of EF for use with young children. In the current study, 126 preschool-aged children were administered both versions of the HTKS as well as a battery of performance-based EF tasks, measures of pre-literacy and mathematics skills, and a delay task. Parents and teachers completed report-based measures of externalizing behaviors. Findings indicated that the HTKS-c task offered a valid measure of EF, equivalent to that of the original HTKS task, for use with preschool children. Furthermore, the HTKS-c offered the added benefits of standardized administration, more accurate scoring of self-corrected responses, and, although not examined in this study, the capability of response-latency scoring in addition to accuracy scoring.

For Better or for Worse? Positive and Negative Parental Influences on Young Children's Executive Function.

Despite rapidly growing research on parental influences on children's executive function (EF), the uniqueness and specificity of parental predictors and links between adult EF and parenting remain unexamined. This 13-month longitudinal study of 117 parent-child dyads (60 boys; Mage at Time 1=3.94years, SD=0.53) included detailed observational coding of parent-child interactions and assessed adult and child EF and child verbal ability (VA). Supporting a differentiated view of parental influence, negative parent-child interactions and parental scaffolding showed unique and specific associations with child EF, whereas the home learning environment and parental language measures showed global associations with children's EF and VA.

Preschoolers' Executive Function: Importance, Contributors, Research Needs and Assessment Options

The early education field increasingly is recognizing the key role played by young children's executive function (EF) skills, generally defined as the cognitive abilities that consciously support goal‐directed behaviors. To provide the field with an overview of research conducted on this topic over the past 15 years, we review research on the traits and skills that fall under the broader umbrella of preschool EF and the role it plays in young children's developmental and academic outcomes. Also addressed are the child, environmental, activity‐related, and curricular factors potentially impacting the development of EF and some EF‐related topics for which additional research is needed. Finally, we provide practical and psychometric information regarding six examples of measures that focus on assessing preschoolers' EF skills. This report can serve as a resource for early childhood researchers and practitioners who are interested in understanding EF development during the early years. By highlighting some topics for which additional research is needed and providing information regarding examples of valid and reliable measures to assess EF in children ages 3–5 years, we hope this report also will serve as a springboard for future studies related to preschool EF.