Function In Preschool Children Research Articles

Educational Robotics intervention on Executive Functions in preschool children: A pilot study

Educational Robotics (ER) is known for its effects on academic achievement and scientific concepts. Few studies have demonstrated ER effects on cognitive skills and no evidence exists on the role of ER in promoting Executive Functions, key elements in early school readiness and cognitive milestone achievements. The aim of this study was to evaluate, for the first time, the short-term effects in Preschool children of an intensive ER training on Executive Functions. A sample of 12 children (age range: 5–6 years) took part to an intensive ER-Lab for 13 sessions (6 weeks) by using a bee-shaped robot, called Bee-Bot®. The children were tested three times (baseline, pre and post ER-Lab) with a neuropsychological battery. The main finding was a significant improvement in both visuo-spatial working memory and inhibition skills after the ER-Lab period, with a significant effect also on robot programming skills. These data provide scientific support to the hypothesis that ER is suitable in progressively improving abilities in planning and controlling complex tasks in early childhood, fostering executive functions development.

Executive functioning in preschool children affected by autism spectrum disorder: A pilot study

Executive functioning in preschool children affected by autism spectrum disorder: A pilot study

Effects of Structured Physical Activity Program on Chinese Young Children's Executive Functions and Perceived Physical Competence in a Day Care Center.

Purpose To examine the effects of a structured physical activity program on executive functions and perceived physical competence as compared to a traditional recess among preschool children. Methods Participants were 40 preschool children aged 4-5 from an urban child care center in a southern Chinese metropolitan area. Prior to the intervention, baseline assessments of children's executive functions and perceived physical competence were conducted. Children were then assigned to (1) intervention condition: a structured physical activity intervention group; (2) control condition: free-activity recess. The structured physical activity or recess programs were provided to the intervention and control groups 30 minutes daily for 3 months, respectively, followed by the identical postintervention measures. Results Thirty-nine children (19 girls; mean age = 4.67 years old, BMI = 15.54 ± 1.21) were included in the analysis. In general, children's executive functions and perceived physical competence increased over time. Repeated measures analysis of variance revealed the intervention group had significant greater increases in executive functions compared to the control children (F(1, 37) = 4.20, p = 0.04, η2 = .10), yet there were no greater increases in perceived physical competence (F(1, 37) = 2.35, p = 0.13, η2 = .06). Conclusion The intervention exerted significant greater increases in executive functions in preschool children. It is meaningful to offer structured physical activity programs in day care centers.

Exposure to phthalates in children aged 5–7 years: Associations with thyroid function and insulin-like growth factors

This study aimed to evaluate the associations between phthalate concentrations and thyroid function in preschool children. We collected demographic data and biological samples from 216 children aged 5–7years. We calculated urinary concentrations of eight mono-phthalate metabolites (mPAEs) separately for children from urban and rural areas and investigated their associations with thyroid function and growth hormones. mPAE concentrations were higher in children from the urban area than in those from the rural area, and most mPAEs were positively associated with free triiodothyronine and free thyroxine. The insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) concentration decreased 0.082ng/mL (95% confidence interval [CI]: −1.34, −0.113) with each 1ng/mL increase in monomethyl phthalate (MMP) and 0.132ng/mL (95% CI: −0.209, −0.055) with each 1ng/mL increase in mono-n-butyl phthalate. The insulin-like growth factor binding protein 3 concentration decreased by 0.01mg/L (95% CI: −0.001, −0.000) or 0.01mg/L (95% CI: −0.003, −0.000) with each 1ng/mL increase in MMP or monoethyl phthalate, respectively. Exposure to some phthalates at 5–7years of age might interfere with thyroid hormones and growth.

Bronchodilator response cut-off points and FEV 0.75 reference values for spirometry in preschoolers.

ABSTRACTObjective:To determine the cut-off points for FEV1, FEV0.75, FEV0.5, and FEF25-75% bronchodilator responses in healthy preschool children and to generate reference values for FEV0.75. Methods:This was a cross-sectional community-based study involving children 3-5 years of age. Healthy preschool children were selected by a standardized questionnaire. Spirometry was performed before and after bronchodilator use. The cut-off point of the response was defined as the 95th percentile of the change in each parameter. Results:We recruited 266 children, 160 (60%) of whom were able to perform acceptable, reproducible expiratory maneuvers before and after bronchodilator use. The mean age and height were 57.78 ± 7.86 months and 106.56 ± 6.43 cm, respectively. The success rate for FEV0.5 was 35%, 68%, and 70% in the 3-, 4-, and 5-year-olds, respectively. The 95th percentile of the change in the percentage of the predicted value in response to bronchodilator use was 11.6%, 16.0%, 8.5%, and 35.5% for FEV1, FEV0.75, FEV0.5, and FEF25-75%, respectively. Conclusions:Our results provide cut-off points for bronchodilator responsiveness for FEV1, FEV0.75, FEV0.5, and FEF25-75% in healthy preschool children. In addition, we proposed gender-specific reference equations for FEV0.75. Our findings could improve the physiological assessment of respiratory function in preschool children.

Predictors for everyday functioning in preschool children born preterm and at term

Predictors for everyday functioning in preschool children born preterm and at term

Nutritional status as a determinant of cognitive development among preschool children in South-Western Nigeria

Purpose – Improving the health of children under the age of five is one of the main objectives of primary healthcare services in most developing countries. The purpose of this paper is to identify the nutritional status of children under the age of five and its impact on cognitive function. Design/methodology/approach – The cross-sectional study was carried out in a semi-urban community in south-western Nigeria. The sample consisted of 220 school children under the age of five. Anthropometric measurements including weight, height and mid arm circumference were carried out to determine the nutritional status of the children. Cognitive function of the children was assessed using a developmental checklist developed by the American Academy of Pediatrics and their performance was graded as good, fair and poor. Findings – The overall prevalence of malnutrition in this study was low with stunting, underweight and wasting recording 8.2, 6.8 and 1.8 percent, respectively thereby making stunting the most common malnutrition indicator in this study. A large proportion of the children (88.6 percent) had good cognitive performance while 11.4 and 5.5 percent had fair and poor cognitive performance, respectively. Among the various malnutrition indicators measured in this study, stunting was found to have a statistically significant association with cognitive development (p=0.005).Stunted children have multiple functional disadvantages that persist throughout childhood and poor nutrition almost certainly plays a role. This paper calls for a need for the Nigerian Government to intervene by ensuring that policies are implemented that will ensure that health and nutritional needs of preschool children are guaranteed right from conception. Originality/value – In view of the importance of nutrition for cognition in children, this research has shown that the cognitive function of preschool children can be affected by stunting and it has contributed to global data on nutrition and cognition particularly in South-Western Nigeria.

Estilos parentais e desenvolvimento das funções executivas: estudo com crianças de 3 a 6 anos

Este estudo analisou a relação entre estilo parental dos responsáveis e funções executivas em pré-escolares, pois pesquisas prévias sugerem que características do ambiente familiar podem influenciar o desenvolvimento dessas funções. Participaram 30 crianças, de 3 a 6 anos, e seus responsáveis. Estes responderam o Inventário de Estilos Parentais e as crianças, Teste de Stroop Semântico, Teste de Atenção por Cancelamento e Teste de Trilhas para pré-escolares. Correlações de magnitude baixa a moderada evidenciaram, de modo geral, que quanto mais apropriado o estilo parental dos pais, melhor o controle de interferência dos filhos. Também observou-se que, quanto maior a inconsistência na punição, maior o tempo de reação da criança na parte incongruente do Teste de Stroop e mais ela é afetada pela incongruência, porém, conforme a parte B do Teste de Trilhas, maior a sua flexibilidade. Portanto observaram-se relações entre estilo parental e funções executivas na amostra avaliada.

Emotional Availability Modulates Electrophysiological Correlates of Executive Functions in Preschool Children.

Executive functions (EFs) – a set of cognitive control abilities – mediate resilience to stress and are associated with academic achievement and health throughout life. They are crucially linked to prefrontal cortex function as well as to other cortical and subcortical brain functions, which are maturing throughout childhood at different rates. Recent behavioral research suggested that children’s EFs were related to parenting quality and child attachment security, but the neural correlates of these associations are unknown. With this study we tested in 4- to 6-year-old healthy children (N = 27) how emotional availability (EA) of the mother-child-interaction was associated with behavioral and electrophysiological correlates of response inhibition (a core EF) in a Go/Nogo task, using event-related potential recordings (ERPs), and with behavioral performance in a Delay of Gratification (DoG) and a Head-Toes-Knees-Shoulders task (HTKS). Our data showed that the Go/Nogo task modulated children’s ERP components resembling adult electrophysiological indices of response inhibition - the N2 and P3/LPC ERPs-, but the children’s N2 and P3/LPC ERPs showed longer latencies. Higher maternal autonomy-fostering behavior and greater child responsiveness were significantly associated with smaller children’s N2 Go/Nogo effects at fronto-central and parietal sites and with greater Go/Nogo effects in the N2 time window at occipital sites, over and above children’s age and intelligence. Additionally, greater maternal sensitivity and a higher dyadic EA quality of the mother-child-interaction went along with greater occipital Go/Nogo effects in the N2 time window, but this effect clearly diminished when we controlled for children’s age and intelligence. Higher maternal autonomy-support was also positively associated with better HTKS performance, and higher dyadic EA quality went along with higher HTKS and DoG scores. However, no significant associations were found between EA variables and the behavioral response inhibition measures of the Go/Nogo task. Our results suggest that parenting qualities modulate the functionality of neural circuits involved in response inhibition, an important component of EFs. This finding, thus, indicates that parent–child interactions shape the neurocognitive development underlying EFs.

Cognitive functions in preschool children with specific language impairment

ObjectiveA growing body of research has focused on executive functions in children with specific language impairment (SLI). However, results show limited convergence, particularly in preschool age. The current neuropsychological study compared performance of cognitive functions focused on executive components and working memory in preschool children with SLI to typically developing controls. MethodPerformance on the measures cognitive flexibility, inhibition, processing speed and phonological short-term memory was assessed. The monolingual, Caucasian study sample consisted of 30 children with SLI (Mage = 63.3 months, SD = 4.3 months) and 30 healthy controls (Mage = 62.2 months, SD = 3.7 months). Groups were matched for age and nonverbal IQ. Socioeconomic status of the participating families was included. ResultsChildren with SLI had significantly poorer abilities of phonological short-term memory than matched controls. A tendency of poorer abilities in the SLI group was found for inhibition and processing speed. ConclusionsWe confirmed phonological short-term memory to be a reliable marker of SLI in preschoolers. Our results do not give definite support for impaired executive function in SLI, possibly owing to limited sensitivity of test instruments in this age group. We argue for a standardization of executive function tests for research use.

Neurocognitive, Social-Behavioral, and Adaptive Functioning in Preschool Children with Mild to Moderate Kidney Disease.

The negative impact of end-stage kidney disease on cognitive function in children is well established, but no studies have examined the neurocognitive, social-behavioral, and adaptive behavior skills of preschool children with mild to moderate chronic kidney disease (CKD). Participants included 124 preschool children with mild to moderate CKD, aged 12 to 68 months (median = 3.7 years), and an associated mean glomerular filtration rate (GFR) of 50.0 mL·min·1.73 m. In addition to level of function and percent of participants scoring ≥1 SD below the test mean, regression models examined the associations between biomarkers of CKD (GFR, anemia, hypertension, seizures, and abnormal birth history), and developmental level/IQ, attention regulation, and parent ratings of executive functions, social-behavior, and adaptive behaviors. Median scores for all measures were in the average range; however, 27% were deemed at risk for a developmental level/IQ <85, 20% were at-risk for attention variability, and parent ratings indicated 30% and 37% to be at risk for executive dysfunction and adaptive behavior problems, respectively. Approximately 43% were deemed at risk on 2 or more measures. None of the disease-related variables were significantly associated with these outcomes, although the presence of hypertension approached significance for attention variability (p < .09). Abnormal birth history and lower maternal education were significantly related to lower developmental level/IQ; seizures were related to lower parental ratings of executive function and adaptive behavior; and abnormal birth history was significantly related to lower ratings of adaptive behavior. When predicting risk status, the logistic regression did evidence both higher GFR and the lack of anemia to be associated with more intact developmental level/IQ. These findings suggest relatively intact functioning for preschool children with mild to moderate CKD, but the need for ongoing developmental surveillance in this population remains warranted, particularly for those with abnormal birth histories, seizures, and heightened disease severity.

The methodical approach to determining the heterogeneity of cognitive function in preschool children requiring correction of speech impediments

Introduction. It has been confirmed that children who suffer from speech impediments may experience difficulties in their cognitive activity, limitations in communication, asociality and sense detachment. It is also clear that these children require not only logopedic treatment, but also assistance in developing functions of their cognitive and mental activities. Aims. To identify the case of uniformity lack of cognitive and somatomental functions of 5-6 year old children with speech impediments in a group; to evaluate the method used for this research. Methods. Use estimates of major mental and cognitive activities by means of tests increases the difficulty. Scores from 1 to 10 were given. Such factors as movement coordination, musicality and body plasticity were taken into consideration too. StatSoft STATISTICA10.0. programme was used to run the statistical analysis. Results. The changes of the group with uniformity of physical, cognitive, somatomental and dance abilities were analysed and estimated at the beginning and at the end of the academic year. The results of the claster analysis have shown that the children managed to develop their cognitive and somatomental abilities. Also it was estimated that the level of uniformity has increased in the group. Conclusions. Having done the research we can state that with the help of cluster analysis children with speech impediments can be grouped according to their physical, cognitive, somatomental and dance abilities. With the help of the results of the claster analysis that notifies that the children managed to develop their cognitive and somatomental abilities, we can observe the positivie effects of the suggested dance-cognitive teaching elements in an educational programme.

Maternal and Paternal Mental‐state Talk and Executive Function in Preschool Children

AbstractThe present study examined the relationship between parents’ mental‐state talk and preschoolers’ executive function. Seventy‐two children participated in the present study, as well as their mothers and fathers. When children were enrolled in the second preschool year, mothers’ and fathers’ use of mental‐state references were assessed during a shared picture‐book reading task with the child. Later, four months before admission to the first grade, preschoolers’ executive function was measured. Hierarchical regression analysis revealed that maternal, but not paternal, mental‐state talk was a significant predictor of children's executive function composite, even after accounting for child gender, age, verbal ability, and parental education. When looking at each of the EF components, maternal mental‐state talk proved to be a predictor of set‐shifting whereas no significant relations emerged with inhibitory control or working memory. These findings add to prior research on parenting quality and executive function in preschoolers.

Evaluation of lung function on impulse oscillometry in preschool children born late preterm.

There is a paucity of data on lung physiology in late-preterm children, who may be exposed to a risk of decline in lung function during childhood. In this study, we evaluated lung function in preschool children born late preterm using impulse oscillometry (IOS), and compared the results with those obtained in healthy term-born children. Children between 3 and 7 years of age who were born late preterm and who were being followed up at the outpatient clinic were included as the late-preterm group. Age-matched healthy term-born children served as controls. A total of 90 late-preterm and 75 healthy children were included in the study. At 5-20 Hz, resistance (R5-R20), reactance (X5-X20), impedans (Z5) and resonant frequency were measured on IOS. Mean IOS R5 and R10 were significantly higher in the late-preterm group than in the control group (P < 0.05). Mean R5, R10 and Z5 were statistically higher in late-preterm children who had been hospitalized for pulmonary infection compared with the control group (P < 0.05). Mean R5, R10, R15, R20 and Z5 were significantly higher, and mean X10 and X15 significantly lower in late-preterm children with passive smoking compared with late-preterm children without passive smoking and controls (P < 0.05). Children born late preterm had signs of peripheral airway obstruction on IOS-based comparison with healthy term-born controls. Besides the inherent disadvantages of premature birth, hospitalization for pulmonary infection and passive smoking also seemed to adversely affect lung function in children born late preterm.

Assessment of Executive Functions in Preschool-Aged Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders: Usefulness and Limitation of BRIEF-P in Clinical Practice

This study examines the context of executive functioning in preschool children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) and verifies the degree of agreement between the compilation of the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Functions-Preschool Version (BRIEF-P) by parents and therapists. To this end, parents and professionals of 46 ASD children aged between 24 and 71 months completed the BRIEF-P in order to highlight the level of agreement between these two different evaluators and then investigate the correlations between executive functions impairment, the degree of autistic symptomatology, the level of cognitive development, the chronological age and the therapy duration. The results showed that parents tend to underestimate the impairment of executive functions in ASD children compared to what estimated by specialized operators. A low level of agreement was found between the two evaluators. Moreover, both for parents and professionals, the EF impairment was not related to the severity of autistic symptoms, assessed with the ADOS-2, while it was correlated to cognitive development in professional evaluations, and to chronological age and therapy duration in parental evaluations. These results indicate that, even if among the pathogenic assumptions about ASDs there has been included also that of the EF impairment, this, if present, does not correlate with the severity of autistic symptoms. With regard to cognitive development, the greater correlation between cognitive and executive impairment seems to be rather obvious. The use of the BRIEF-P completed by parents allows them a greater awareness but does not add clinical data to the diagnosis.

Neurocognitive, Social-Behavioral, and Adaptive Functioning in Preschool Children with Mild to Moderate Kidney Disease

Neurocognitive, Social-Behavioral, and Adaptive Functioning in Preschool Children with Mild to Moderate Kidney Disease

Особенности когнитивной сферы у дошкольников с синдромом дефицита внимания и гиперактивностью

Особенности когнитивной сферы у дошкольников с синдромом дефицита внимания и гиперактивностью

The Assessment of Validity and Reliability of Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Functions in Iranian Pre-School Children

Background: Executive functions are among abilities which school children require for learning in the future and deficit in executive functions in preschool children can continue into the older age and leads to serious problems in children in relation to doing their homework and other personal affairs. Objectives: The objective of the present study is to determine the validity, reliability and factor structure of the per-school version of behavioral rating inventory of executive functions (parent’s form) in Iranian children. Patients and Methods: The present study comprised 592 children aged from 2 - 5 years selected from pre-school centers of the city of Isfahan in 2013 - 2014 using cluster random sampling method, with their parents answering the questions asked in this inventory. The correlation coefficient among items with a total score of factors, Cronbach’s alpha coefficient, confirmatory factor analysis, and the correlation coefficient among the subscales were used to measure the reliability and internal consistency of the inventory. Results: Confirmatory factor analysis confirmed embedding items and the five-factor structure of the inventory including inhibition, shift, and emotional control, working memory and planning. In addition, Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was at satisfactory level for each of the factors and the total score of the scale (≥ 0.60). Conclusions: In general, it can be concluded that the behavior rating inventory of executive function (BRIEF) for preschool-aged children is a reliable and valid instrument for measuring executive functions of Iranian children, and can be used as a suitable means for psychological research and clinical situations.

Gross motor function in preschool children with cerebral palsy: comparison between a high‐ and low‐resource country. Is a GMFCS level III a III?

Gross motor function in preschool children with cerebral palsy: comparison between a high‐ and low‐resource country. Is a GMFCS level III a III?

The relationship between executive function in preschool children and parenting

The relationship between executive function in preschool children and parenting