Function Of Primary School Children Research Articles

Mediators of the association between physical activity and executive functions in primary school children

ABSTRACT There is growing interest in identifying the mechanisms underpinning the effects of physical activity on executive functions (e.g. inhibitory control, cognitive flexibility) in children. Our study examined cardiorespiratory fitness, muscular fitness, and motor competence as potential mediators of this relationship. The study used baseline data from the Learning to Lead (L2L) cluster randomised controlled trial. In total, 675 children (7–11 years, 49.5% girls) completed measures of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), cardiorespiratory fitness, muscular fitness, motor competence, and executive functions. Structural equation modelling was used to examine the potential mediating roles of cardiorespiratory fitness, muscular fitness, and motor competence in the cross-sectional association between MVPA and executive functions. Cardiorespiratory fitness (β = 0.06, SE = 0.021, p = 0.004) partially mediated the association between MVPA and cognitive flexibility. Muscular fitness was a significant mediator of the association between MVPA and both inhibitory control (β = 0.03, SE = 0.014, p = 0.027) and cognitive flexibility (β = 0.06, SE = 0.021, p = 0.005). No significant mediated effects were found for motor competence. Our findings suggest cardiorespiratory and muscular fitness (but not motor competence) mediate the association between physical activity and executive functions in children.

Impact of physical activity on executive function in primary school children with autism spectrum disorder: a systematic review

Objectives Physical activity (PA) has many significant health benefits for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The aim of the present systematic review was to synthesise published studies focusing on the effect of PA interventions on executive function (EF) 6–12-year-old-children with ASD. To our knowledge, no systematic review has yet been conducted to examine the effects of PA interventions on EF in primary school children with ASD. Findings from this review could aid primary school professionals in identifying effective interventions to address EF difficulties. Methods The present systematic review adhered to PRISMA 2020 guidelines. Studies found in the Pubmed, Web of Science, Scopus and PsycINFO databases were analysed according to inclusion and exclusion criteria. Finally, a total of seven eligible articles were carefully analysed. All studies included in the present review were analysed for methodological rigour and risk of bias was evaluated using the Cochrane Collaboration Guide. Results Traditional PA interventions based on table tennis, basketball skills, non-static bicycling, mixed martial arts and Chinese mind-body exercise were beneficial to EF. Further, innovative tools such as exergames spoke to the interest of students and were a good option to bring into the classroom to improve EF. Conclusions Available evidence does not allow definitive conclusions regarding the cognitive benefits of PA alone. More scientific evidence is needed to establish firm conclusions about the type of interventions that specifically improve EF in children with ASD and provide accurate information to the scientific and educational community.

A Naturalistic Intervention to Promote Executive Functions in Primary School Children: A Pilot Study.

Executive functions are related to the control of cognition, emotion, and behavior. They are essential to lifelong outcomes, including school performance. Naturalistic interventions embedded in children's daily activities and environments have greater effects. Therefore, this pilot study aimed to develop a naturalistic program suitable for schools, based on Goal Management Training (GMT), and to analyze its effects on executive functions and behavior. The participants consisted of 35 students from 2nd to 5th grade with executive dysfunction complaints. They underwent neuropsychological assessments of working memory, inhibition, cognitive flexibility, and intellectual capacity. Teachers and parents answered questionnaires on executive functions and behavior. Students were randomly assigned to an active control group, who participated in sessions on citizenship, and an experimental group (EG), stimulated through the executive function program, both with 16 sessions conducted by psychologists. After the intervention, all participants were reevaluated. The two-way Wald-type statistic (WTS) revealed greater improvement in executive functions for the EG, including working memory and inhibition. Additionally, parents and teachers, blind to the experimental conditions, reported improvements in some measures of executive functions and behavior. The results are encouraging, but further studies should test the intervention when implemented with larger samples and by teachers.

The Impact of Greenhouse Density on Cognitive Function in Primary School Children Using the WISC Method

Exposure to pesticides is associated with various health concerns and may also be related to impaired cognitive function. This study investigated the relationship between greenhouse density and cognitive function in primary school children using Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Fourth Edition (WISC-IV) and environmental sampling. This study was conducted on 128 children (6–9 years old) in Ebrahimabad village, Ashkezar, Yazd, Iran in 2019, and 10 students were excluded from the study after filling consent form. The WISC-IV measured children’s cognitive function, and a flame ionization detector for gas chromatography (GC-FID) instrument was used to detect environmental exposure to pesticides. There was a significant inverse relationship between greenhouse density in children’s homes and cognitive function scores with verbal thinking scores (P value=0.003) and the total scale (P value=0.0001) on the WISC. Further, the results showed that the obtained verbal thinking scores are significantly related to their fathers’ education (P value=0.008) and occupation (P value=0.014). Moreover, the results of environmental exposure measurement confirmed the presence of malathion, ethion, chlorpyrifos, dieldrin, and oxadiazine with a maximum concentration of 183 µg/m3 in response to malathion. The present study indicated that increasing the density of the greenhouse reduces children’s cognitive functions. The results of ambient air analysis confirmed the environmental exposure to pesticides as well. Due to long-term chemical effects, management measures such as public education, substituting crop types, and the use of eco-friendly methods are unavoidable.

Domain-Specific Stimulation of Executive Functioning in Low-Performing Students with a Roma Background: Cognitive Potential of Mathematics

The current study investigated whether a domain-specific intervention of ExeFun-Mat targeting math and executive functions in primary school children with a Roma background would be effective in improving their scholastic performance and executive functioning. ExeFun-Mat is based on the principles of the reciprocal teaching approach, scaffolding and self-questioning. The domain-specific content was divided into modules. Each module consisted of a set of graded tasks. The criteria for the grading and hierarchical organization of the tasks were based on the level of cognitive difficulty and the type of representation. In total, 122 students attending grade four of elementary school took part in the project. The study concerned a pretest-intervention-posttest experimental design with three conditions: the experimental condition, an active, and a passive control group. To assess the children’s level of EF, the Delis–Kaplan executive function system test battery was used; to assess children’s mathematical achievement, the cognitive abilities test (the numeracy battery), and ZAREKI—a neuropsychological test battery for numerical processing and calculation—were used. The results suggested that both math performance and executive functions improved over time, with no significant differences between the three conditions. An additional correlational analysis indicated that pretest performance was not related to posttest performance for the children in the experimental and active control group.

Aspects of psychomotor development of primary school children with hearing loss from the standpoint of Bernstein's theory of movement construction

Purpose: As the latest research shows, psychomotor development and motor learning of deaf children is garnering a great deal of attention from scientists. Effectively correcting the psychomotor development of hearing-impaired kids requires a deep understanding of the disorders, structures, depth, and the children’s potential motor learning capabilities. We believe this understanding can be reached with the Bernstein approach. However, we were able to find only a handful of studies on psychomotor development of hearing-impaired children from the point of view of the theory of how motor skills are formed. Based on this theory, the purpose of this study was to create a diagnostic program that can evaluate and analyze psychomotor disorders and uncover their mechanism in hearing impaired kids compared to their peers with normal hearing. Methods: The study included 54 children from primary schools in Lviv with normal hearing and 94 primary school children with hearing loss from the Lviv Specialized Boarding School named after Maria Pokrova №101 and the Zhovkiv Training and Rehabilitation Center “Zlagoda” (51 children with hearing loss and 43 deaf children). The research sample we chose was random and the children ranged in age from 7-8 years old. To study a single motor skill based on the involvement of multiple levels of central nervous system control, the jump model was chosen. The study consisted of 10 tests, each of which was rated on a 5point scale. Gathered and analysed data were used for the quantitative method. Result: It was established that children with hearing loss had psychomotor retardation on all motor skill levels compared to their peers with normal hearing. Hearing impaired children had a low level of static and dynamic coordination, speed of movement, and motor memory. The lowest level of development was purposeful movement. Conclusions: We identified specific psychomotor disorders in primary school children with hearing loss compared to their peers with normal hearing on all levels of motor skill formation, and found correlations between the overall assessment of hearing impaired children and the studied components by level of movement construction: for any motor activity, there is a primary level, which forms the foundation of the movement and all other levels that are activated when performing the movement. The aspects of sensory-motor functions in primary school children with hearing loss depend on the level of hearing loss and consist of an absence of coordination on multiple levels of movement construction.

Особенности мышления у детей с аутизмом без умственной отсталости

22 children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and 26 neurotypic children from 7 to 10 years old took part in the study of cognitive features of autistic children without intellectual disabilities. Instruments aimed at studying of cognitive functions in primary school children and free form narrative used in the research. Found that in children with ASD, some cognitive features significantly more pronounced than in neurotypical peers: lack of targeting, diverseness of thinking with a distortion of the generalization process, concreteness of thinking. The scores obtained in children with ASD were mainly within the mean values, while in the group of neurotypic children, for the most part, they were within high values. Revealed that children with ASD more often than neurotypic peers demonstrate a combination of specific thinking and some features that considered as characteristic of a schizophrenic pathopsychological complex of symptoms.

Логопедическая работа с младшими школьниками, имеющими расстройства аутистического спектра и интеллектуальные нарушения

Asynchronous neuropsychic development of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) involves not only a personalized approach, which takes into account behavioral characteristics of children during their education and correction, but also the development of new habilitation programs. The structural components of speech therapy work with children with ASD and intellectual disabilities presented. The most important motivational and incentive stage of work with children with behavioral features, which includes the formation of special educational environment, described in detail. As part of a comprehensive speech therapy work, basic differentiated tasks are determined depending on the degree of formation, impaired speech and potential developmental opportunities, from the establishment of sufficient articulatory capabilities to the development of verbal or alternative communication. The main directions of speech therapy work on the formation of speech function in primary schoolchildren studying in programs for children with intellectual disabilities presented. Experience of speech therapy practice in correctional work with children with writing and reading disorders presented.

Connection of the empathy with some parameters of executive functions in primary school children

Connection of the empathy with some parameters of executive functions in primary school children

Longitudinal Analysis of Music Education on Executive Functions in Primary School Children.

Background: Research on the effects of music education on cognitive abilities has generated increasing interest across the scientific community. Nonetheless, longitudinal studies investigating the effects of structured music education on cognitive sub-functions are still rare. Prime candidates for investigating a relationship between academic achievement and music education appear to be executive functions such as planning, working memory, and inhibition.Methods: One hundred and forty-seven primary school children, Mage = 6.4 years, SD = 0.65 were followed for 2.5 years. Participants were randomized into four groups: two music intervention groups, one active visual arts group, and a no arts control group. Neuropsychological tests assessed verbal intelligence and executive functions. Additionally, a national pupil monitor provided data on academic performance.Results: Children in the visual arts group perform better on visuospatial memory tasks as compared to the three other conditions. However, the test scores on inhibition, planning and verbal intelligence increased significantly in the two music groups over time as compared to the visual art and no arts controls. Mediation analysis with executive functions and verbal IQ as mediator for academic performance have shown a possible far transfer effect from executive sub-function to academic performance scores.Discussion: The present results indicate a positive influence of long-term music education on cognitive abilities such as inhibition and planning. Of note, following a two-and-a-half year long visual arts program significantly improves scores on a visuospatial memory task. All results combined, this study supports a far transfer effect from music education to academic achievement mediated by executive sub-functions.

I Can Stand Learning: A Controlled Pilot Intervention Study on the Effects of Increased Standing Time on Cognitive Function in Primary School Children

Sedentarism is considered an independent cardiovascular risk factor. Thus, the present study investigated the effects of employing standing desks in classrooms on cognitive function. The intervention class (IG; n = 19) was supplied with standing desks and balance pads for 11 weeks. The control class (CG; n = 19) received lessons as usual. Standing time was assessed objectively (accelerometers) and subjectively (self-report sheets, external classroom observers). The impact of standing on the digit span task and Eriksen flanker task was analysed. The standing time of the IG was higher during the school day in comparison to the CG (lesson: p = 0.004; break: p = 0.003). The intra-class correlation coefficient between self-reports and external observation was high (ICC = 0.94). The IG improved slightly on the Digit Span Task compared to CG. Employing standing desks for at least 1 h per school day serves as a feasible and effective opportunity to improve cognitive function.

The Influence of Texting Language on Grammar and Executive Functions in Primary School Children.

When sending text messages on their mobile phone to friends, children often use a special type of register, which is called textese. This register allows the omission of words and the use of textisms: instances of non-standard written language such as 4ever (forever). Previous studies have shown that textese has a positive effect on children’s literacy abilities. In addition, it is possible that children’s grammar system is affected by textese as well, as grammar rules are often transgressed in this register. Therefore, the main aim of this study was to investigate whether the use of textese influences children’s grammar performance, and whether this effect is specific to grammar or language in general. Additionally, studies have not yet investigated the influence of textese on children’s cognitive abilities. Consequently, the secondary aim of this study was to find out whether textese affects children’s executive functions. To investigate this, 55 children between 10 and 13 years old were tested on a receptive vocabulary and grammar performance (sentence repetition) task and various tasks measuring executive functioning. In addition, text messages were elicited and the number of omissions and textisms in children’s messages were calculated. Regression analyses showed that omissions were a significant predictor of children’s grammar performance after various other variables were controlled for: the more words children omitted in their text messages, the better their performance on the grammar task. Although textisms correlated (marginally) significantly with vocabulary, grammar and selective attention scores and omissions marginally significantly with vocabulary scores, no other significant effects were obtained for measures of textese in the regression analyses: neither for the language outcomes, nor for the executive function tasks. Hence, our results show that textese is positively related to children’s grammar performance. On the other hand, use of textese does not affect—positively nor negatively—children’s executive functions.

Long-term effects of physically active academic lessons on physical fitness and executive functions in primary school children.

Integrating physical activity into the curriculum has potential health and cognitive benefits in primary school children. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of physically active academic lessons on cardiovascular fitness, muscular fitness and executive functions. In the current randomized controlled trial, 499 second and third graders within 12 primary schools (mean age = 8.1 ± 0.7) were randomized to the intervention (n = 249) or control condition (n = 250). The physically active academic lessons were given for 2 consecutive school years, 22 weeks per year, three times a week, with a duration of 20-30 min per lesson. Multiple tests were administered before, between and after the intervention period, measuring cardiovascular fitness, muscular fitness and executive functions. Multilevel analysis accounted for the nested structure of the children within classes and schools. Results showed a larger improvement in speed-coordination (B = -0.70,P = 0.002) and a lower improvement in static strength (B = -0.92,P < : 0.001) for the intervention group compared with the control group. The current lessons did not result in a significant change in executive functions.

Cognitively Engaging Chronic Physical Activity, But Not Aerobic Exercise, Affects Executive Functions in Primary School Children: A Group-Randomized Controlled Trial.

Although the positive effects of different kinds of physical activity (PA) on cognitive functioning have already been demonstrated in a variety of studies, the role of cognitive engagement in promoting children's executive functions is still unclear. The aim of the current study was therefore to investigate the effects of two qualitatively different chronic PA interventions on executive functions in primary school children. Children (N = 181) aged between 10 and 12 years were assigned to either a 6-week physical education program with a high level of physical exertion and high cognitive engagement (team games), a physical education program with high physical exertion but low cognitive engagement (aerobic exercise), or to a physical education program with both low physical exertion and low cognitive engagement (control condition). Executive functions (updating, inhibition, shifting) and aerobic fitness (multistage 20-m shuttle run test) were measured before and after the respective condition. Results revealed that both interventions (team games and aerobic exercise) have a positive impact on children's aerobic fitness (4-5% increase in estimated VO2max). Importantly, an improvement in shifting performance was found only in the team games and not in the aerobic exercise or control condition. Thus, the inclusion of cognitive engagement in PA seems to be the most promising type of chronic intervention to enhance executive functions in children, providing further evidence for the importance of the qualitative aspects of PA.

Longitudinal Study of the Development of Higher Mental Functions in Primary School Children

This article presents the results of a longitudinal population-based neuropsychological study of the development of higher mental functions (HMFs) in primary school children from grades 1 through 3 at a Moscow public school (n = 84). We monitored changes in HMFs in the total sample and in groups of children with different baseline HMFs (high, medium, low), as measured in the first grade, using seven indexes that reflect individual HMF components such as executive functions (voluntary regulation of activity), serial organization of movements and actions, processing of kinesthetic, auditory, visual, and visual-spatial information, and regulation of activation, at three time points (first, second, and third grades). The study found a generally positive trend in the structural and functional components of HMFs in the children who were tested. Groups of children with different baseline levels of HMFs steadily maintained their differences in the degree of development of the HMFs at each evaluation time point, although the greatest change in HMF components was found in children with initially low scores, and the least change was in children with initially high HMF scores. Among the components with the least change was voluntary regulation—that is, the programming, regulation, and control of one's activity. The fact that children with high baseline functioning did not change significantly in a given function from first to third grades may be related to a decline in learning motivation, insofar as their learning is then occurring in the zone of actual and not proximal development.

Normative data for three tests of visuocognitive function in primary school children: cross-sectional study

Background/AimsThere is an increasing recognition that visuocognitive difficulties occur in children with neurodevelopmental problems. We obtained normative data for the performance of primary school children using three tests of visuocognitive...

Central auditory functions in primary school children with and without phonological awareness problems

ObjectiveThe primary objective of this study was to assess central auditory functions in a group of primary school children with dyslexia mainly phonological awareness problems and to compare their performance with children with good phonological awareness ability. DesignA group of 52 students with phonological awareness problems (according to their performance in phonological awareness subtest of Arabic Reading Test (ART)) and 31 age- and sex matched students without phonological awareness problems participated in the study. All children were free from any neurological problems, had normal distant visual acuity, normal peripheral hearing sensitivity in both ears and IQ equal or above 90. The children from both groups were subjected to central auditory tests (CAT). Comparison between both groups in their performance in CAT was done and the correlations between CAT and items of phonological awareness subtest were examined. ResultsThe students with phonological awareness problems as a group performed significantly poorer than controls on all central auditory tests. Also, there was a significant correlation between the speech perception in noise test (SPIN) and phonological awareness in the left ear mainly for (Recognition of the middle sound of the word, Deletion of the middle sound of the word and Addition of a sound to the word). ConclusionsThe group of children with phonological awareness problem showed clinically significant diminished performance compared to the group without phonological awareness problem, reflecting difficulties in the processing of auditory information.

Factors governing cognitive function of primary school children in Pakistan

Factors governing cognitive function of primary school children in Pakistan

P-377 - Factors governing cognitive function of primary school children in pakistan

The primary objective of this study was to identify the factors governing cognitive function of primary school children in Pakistan. This was a prospective observational study conducted in 2 governments and 2 low class private public schools in a small district of Pakistan. Two hundred children (90 male, 110 female), age 7–12 years class 3, 4 and 5 were assessed using McCarthy scale of child cognition. Child health, immunization status/immunization compliance, play facilities, parental education, parental income, child parenting (mother/father/both/relatives), parent-child interaction time, family system (single/extended), family income were assessed against child cognitive function.Data was analysed using SPSS 18. Girls demonstrated better mathematical ability and memory (p < 0.05). 5.5% children may have missed/poor compliance with immunization. 1.5% children were parented by single mother, 3% with fathers and 0.5% were parented by with relatives. Better play facilities, compliance with immunization, parental education, parental income, a minimum of 3 hours interaction time had a positive impact on child cognitive function (all p < 0.05). Single family system was observed in 62%, extended family system 38% children. Extended family system was not associated with adverse child cognition (p > 0.05) Better health, play facilities, immunization, parental education, parental income, a minimum of 3 hours interaction time has a positive impact on child cognitive function. Overall girls demonstrated better cognitive skills compared to boys. Family system (single/extended) does not effect the child cognition and development in rural areas of Pakistan.

P-379 - Parent-child interaction time and impact of parental control on cognitive function of primary school children in pakistan

Objectives The primary objective of this study was to assess the impact of parent-child interaction and parental control on child cognition in Pakistan. Design This was a prospective observational study conducted in 2 governments and 2 low class private public schools in a small district of Pakistan. Method Two hundred children (90 male, 110 female), age 7–12 years class 3, 4 and 5 were assessed using McCarthy scale of child cognition. The purposeful educational and interaction time amongst parents and children recorded. Parental control on children was classified as 1= no/very minimal control, 5= very strict control (children with set timetables for study, play and entertainment activities). One way ANOVA test was applied using SPSS 18. Results Majority (80.5%) of the parents spent 1–3 hours with their children. (25% = 1 hr, 31% = 2 hours, 24.5% = 3 hours). The cognitive function improved with increased interaction time; however the average scores did were not significantly different in 2 to 4 (median 3 hr) hour interaction times. Only 4 children spend over 5 hours a day with their parents performed exceptionally well in reasoning compared to other children. Improved cognitive function observed with increasing level of parental control (all p values Conclusion Three hour parent-child interaction is required to achieve average cognitive score. A pragmatic approach to child education, play facilities and entertainment result in better cognitive score in primary school children in Pakistan. Local studies may be required to generalize these results.