The role of distinct executive functions on adaptive behavior in children and adolescents with Down syndrome

Will, Elizabeth; Schworer, Emily K.; Esbensen, Anna J.

doi:10.1080/09297049.2021.1917531

Cited by 13 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 63 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Our data support that intellectual and adaptive functioning are separate but related skills. Although group-level analyses indicated the measures were related (consistent with other studies in DS; e.g., di Nuovo and Buono, 2011;Sabat et al, 2019;Will et al, 2021), analyses at the individual level demonstrated more nuance. Some children scored higher in adaptive functioning, while others scored higher in intellectual functioning.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 79%

Perspectives on adaptive functioning and intellectual functioning measures for intellectual disabilities behavioral research

et al. 2023

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

IntroductionIntellectual disability (ID) is a significant limitation in both intellectual ability and adaptive functioning, but many studies of participants with ID only include a measure of overall intellectual functioning when describing their samples. The purpose of this perspective article was to provide a starting point for future research regarding the utility of including measures of both intellectual and adaptive functioning in research focused on ID. In this article, we discuss the differences and similarities between the constructs of intellectual and adaptive functioning, how they are measured, and the benefits of using both measures to describe participant abilities. Data are presented to demonstrate that intellectual and adaptive functioning measures capture separate but related skills in a sample of individuals with ID (i.e., children with Down syndrome [DS]; the leading genetic cause of ID).MethodsThirty children with DS (7–31 months) were administered the Mullen Scales of Early Learning and their mothers were interviewed using the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales.ResultsAt the group level, Vineland and Mullen composite scores were relatively normally distributed and positively correlated. At the individual level, a concordance correlation coefficient indicated moderate agreement between Vineland and Mullen composite scores.DiscussionAlthough many children showed consistency between measures, others did not. Our discussion and findings, though preliminary, highlight that intellectual and adaptive functioning are separate but related skills and that there are benefits to including both measures when describing samples with ID. We discuss considerations for including adaptive functioning measures to enhance future research on individuals with ID.

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 79%

Perspectives on adaptive functioning and intellectual functioning measures for intellectual disabilities behavioral research

et al. 2023

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Two parents reported that their child had ASD. Data from the participants in this study have been used in other manuscripts focused on the assessment of working memory outcome measures [33] and the association between executive function and adaptive skills [34].…”

Section: Participantsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Psychometric Evaluation of Social Cognition and Behavior Measures in Children and Adolescents with Down Syndrome

2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Individuals with Down syndrome (DS) are often described as socially engaged; however, challenges with social cognition, expressive language, and social interaction are also common in DS and are prospective outcomes of interest for clinical trials. The current study evaluates the psychometric properties of standardized measurements of social cognition and social behavior for potential use as outcome measures for children and adolescents with DS. Seventy-three youth ages 6 to 17 years old (M = 12.67, SD = 3.16) with DS were assessed on social cognition subtests of a neuropsychological assessment at two time points. Caregivers also completed a parent-report measure of social behavior. Measures were evaluated for feasibility, test-retest reliability, practice effects, convergent validity, and associations with broader developmental domains (i.e., age, cognition, and language). All social cognition and behavior measures met criteria for a portion of the psychometric indices evaluated, yet feasibility limitations were identified for the Developmental Neuropsychological Assessment, Second Edition (NEPSY-II) Affect Recognition subtest, and the NEPSY-II Theory of Mind subtest had problematic floor effects for percentile ranks. The Social Responsiveness Scale, Second Edition (SRS-2; T-scores) had high feasibility, moderate to excellent test-retest reliability, and no practice effects, suggesting this measure could be appropriate for use in clinical trials involving youth with DS.

show abstract

“…Shifting is reported to be a relative strength at younger ages and a relative weakness at older ages (Daunhauer et al 2014, Loveall et al 2017. EF challenges in persons with DS are associated with poorer academic achievement (Will et al 2017), adaptive behaviours (Daunhauer et al 2017;Esbensen et al 2021;Sabat et al 2020;Tomaszewski et al 2018;Will et al 2021), communication (Kristensen et al 2022;Maiman et al 2017), and social behaviour (Amadó et al 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Confirmatory factor analysis of the BRIEF2 in a sample of youth with Down syndrome

Soltani

Schworer

Jacobson

et al. 2022

J intellect Disabil Res

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background The factor structure of the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function, second edition (BRIEF2) has been widely examined in both typically developing children and specific clinical samples. Despite the frequent use of the BRIEF2 for measuring executive functioning in individuals with Down syndrome, no study has investigated the factorial validity or dimensionality of the BRIEF2 in this population. This study aimed to address this notable gap in the literature. Methods Parents of 407 children and youth with Down syndrome aged 6-18 years completed the BRIEF2 as part of different studies led by six sites. Three competing models proposed by previous studies were analysed using Confirmatory Factor Analysis: the theoretical structure of the BRIEF2 where the scales were constrained to load on three factors labelled as Cognitive, Behavioral, and Emotional Regulation, a two-factor correlated model with the merged Behavioral and Emotional regulation, and a single-factor model. ResultsThe three-factor model provided a better fit than the one-and two-factor models, yet a large correlation was observed between Behavioural and Emotional regulation factors. The results provide meaningful explanatory value for the theoretical structure of the BRIEF2. However, the Behavioral and Emotional regulation factors might be less differentiated and the two-factor structure of the BRIEF2 may also make theoretical and empirical sense. Conclusions Although more studies are needed to further examine the factor structure of the BRIEF2 in youth with Down syndrome, this investigation provides preliminary support for the interpretation of the three executive function index scores provided by the BRIEF2: Cognitive, Behavioral, and Emotional Regulation.

show abstract

The role of distinct executive functions on adaptive behavior in children and adolescents with Down syndrome

Cited by 13 publications

References 63 publications

Perspectives on adaptive functioning and intellectual functioning measures for intellectual disabilities behavioral research

Perspectives on adaptive functioning and intellectual functioning measures for intellectual disabilities behavioral research

Psychometric Evaluation of Social Cognition and Behavior Measures in Children and Adolescents with Down Syndrome

Confirmatory factor analysis of the BRIEF2 in a sample of youth with Down syndrome

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About