Caregiver-reported executive functioning and associated adaptive and challenging behaviour in children with histories of developmental delay

Executive and Social Functioning in Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders: Comparison to Autism

Executive function is an area of challenge for both children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) and children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Parent ratings of everyday executive function relate to a range of outcomes, including social functioning in ASD. Comparisons between FASD and ASD have revealed both overlapping and distinct skills, but have not addressed executive function or its relation to social function. Utilizing parent report, the current study addressed relative strengths and weaknesses across scales of everyday executive function, as well as group differences between FASD and ASD. The association between executive function and social function was also evaluated. Participants with FASD (n = 23) and ASD (n = 18) were preschool and school-age children whose caregivers completed the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF, BRIEF-2, or BRIEF-P) and the Social Responsiveness Scale, Second Edition. For both groups and all examined executive function scales, scores exceeded the normative mean, indicating challenges. The groups differed significantly on only one executive function scale: working memory. In both groups, executive function was positively correlated with social functioning, even when controlling for nonverbal IQ. The current findings highlight an overlapping association between executive function and social function in FASD and ASD.

Executive function in young children with and without global developmental delays: Association with mastery motivation and developmental abilities

Executive functions (EF) affect child competencies across domains in early childhood. Thus, this study examined: 1) the EF differences between young children with global developmental delays (GDD) and those with typical development (TD); 2) the relationship between mastery motivation (MM) and EF; 3) the association between developmental abilities and EF in both groups. Participants included 26 mother-child dyads of preschoolers with GDD (age 24-55 months) and 26 sex- and mental-age-matched dyads of TD preschoolers (age 15-29 months). Child developmental abilities were assessed using the Comprehensive Developmental Inventory for Infants and Toddlers. Mothers rated child EF and MM using the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function and the Revised Dimensions of Mastery Questionnaires. Independent-t test (p <.008, 2-tailed) and hierarchical regressions were used to examine association (p <.05, 2-tailed). GDD group showed higher EF difficulties compared to their TD counterparts (t = 4.05- 5.48, p <.001). Additionally, higher child MM, developmental ability, and mother's perceived child ability are significantly associated with overall EF. Therefore, early childhood practitioners should coach parents to observe their child's MM and to identify the child ability to enhance EF in young children. This study provides preliminary evidence linking MM, EF, and child abilities in early childhood.

Associations Between Executive Functioning, Behavioral Functioning, and Adaptive Functioning Difficulties in Wiedemann-Steiner Syndrome

OBJECTIVES

Wiedemann-Steiner syndrome (WSS) is a neurogenetic disorder caused by heterozygous variants in KMT2A. Recent investigations suggest increased anxiety and behavior regulation challenges among those with WSS although the neurobehavioral phenotype remains largely unknown. This study aims to examine the pattern of and associations between executive functioning (EF) and behavior functioning among those with WSS.

METHOD

This study involved utilizing caregiver-report inventories (Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function 2nd Edition, BRIEF-2; Adaptive Behavior Assessment 3rd Edition, ABAS-3; Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, SDQ) to assess day-to-day behavior functioning among those with WSS (N = 24; mean age = 10.68 years, SD = 3.19). Frequency of clinical elevations in daily difficulties in EF, adaptive behaviors, and behavior regulation were reported. Correlations and hierarchical linear regressions were used to determine the relationships between EF with behavior and adaptive functioning.

RESULTS

Out of our sample, 63% met clinical levels of executive functioning difficulties on the BRIEF-2, and 75% with Hyperactivity and 54% with Emotional Problems on the SDQ. In addition, 33% were rated >2 SD below the normative mean in overall adaptive functioning on the ABAS-3. Elevated ratings in BRIEF-2 Shift, reflective of challenges with mental flexibility, predicted more Emotional Problems and accounted for 33.5% of its variance. More difficulties in Emotional Control were related to greater adaptive deficits, accounting for 33.3% of its variance.

CONCLUSIONS

Those with WSS are at risk for EF deficits, hyperactivity, and emotional dysregulation. EF correlates with adaptive and affective behaviors, highlighting the promise of behavioral interventions to target cognitive flexibility, emotional awareness, and reactivity in this population.

Association between Mastery Motivation, Executive Function, and Daily Participation of Young Children with and without Global Developmental Delays

This study aimed to examine the group differences in participation level between children with and without global delays and to explore the associations between mastery motivation, executive function, and participation in young children with and without global developmental delays (GDD). Methods: we recruited 26 children with GDD aged 2 to 5 years and 26 children with sex- and mental age-matched developing typically (TD). The participants were assessed child development using the standardized developmental test, and their mothers were asked to fill in questionnaires, including the revised Dimension of Mastery Questionnaire (DMQ 18) with preschool version to assess mastery motivation, the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function with preschool version (BRIEF-P) to assess executive function, and the Young Children's Participation and Environment Measure (YC-PEM) used to obtain participation levels. Results and conclusions: young children with GDD showed significantly lower participation levels at home, daycare, and community than TD group. We found that for young children, child mastery pleasure, health condition, and total persistence were significant predictors of child participation. Therefore, coaching parents to observe and facilitate their children's motivation and executive function, as well as child developmental abilities, is important in order to enhance children's participation in daily activities.

Teacher-child one-on-one playtime: Teachers' non-intrusiveness predicts developmental outcomes of children with developmental delay

The contribution of dyadic teacher-child interactions to the development of children with special needs has received little research attention. This study examined whether teachers' non-intrusiveness during one-on-one playtime predicts developmental outcomes of children with developmental delay. Participants were 47 teachers and one of their kindergarteners diagnosed with developmental delay. At Time 1, teachers' non-intrusiveness during teacher-child play interactions was assessed. At Time 1 and 12 months later, kindergarten therapists reported on children's adaptive behavior, school performance, and internalizing and externalizing problems. Teachers' non-intrusiveness predicted children's increased adaptive behavior, improved school performance, and decreased externalizing problems across the year. Findings highlight the importance of supporting teachers' non-intrusiveness and including one-on-one teacher-child play as an integral part of special education kindergartens' curriculum.

Executive function and intellectual disability: innovations, methods and treatment

This editorial presents an introduction to and an overview of the current JIDR special issue on "Executive Function in Intellectual Disability." The articles included in this special issue provide a contemporary, in depth exploration of questions regarding the nature of EF in individuals with ID. Topics include the emergence of EF during early childhood in ID-related conditions, the influence of EF on other domains of development, and the relationship between EF and adaptation throughout the lifespan. This editorial synthesizes the findings presented in this special issue and identifies methodological challenges that researchers will continue to face in future investigations of this important area.