Variability of Executive Function Performance in Preschoolers with Developmental Language Disorder

Abstract

Although results vary across individual studies, a large body of evidence suggests that children with developmental language disorder (DLD) have domain-general deficits in executive function compared with peers with typically developing language. Poorer performance for children with DLD has been reported on verbal and nonverbal measures of sustained selective attention, working memory, inhibition, and shifting. However, examination of the variability of task scores among both children with and without DLD reveals a wide range of executive function performance for both groups. Additionally, using executive function scores to classify children into DLD versus typical groups results in classification accuracy that is not clinically useful. This evidence indicates that group-level differences in executive function abilities between children with and without DLD cannot be applied at the individual level. Many children with DLD appear to have intact executive function abilities, which undermines the possibility that poor executive functioning causes language deficits in this population. However, a substantial number of children with DLD also have executive function deficits, and, therefore, therapy approaches with this population should consider both their language and executive function abilities.

Specific Language Impairment and Executive Functions in School-Age Children: A Systematic Review

“…For accomplishing language production: the individual must use long-term memory, to remember and apply the rules; working memory, to keep track of what one said and what is being said by others; attention, for focusing on the message that is being received; and inhibition, to adhere to the rules or to switch from one language to another in the case of multilingualism [ 5 , 6 , 31 ]. These might be the reason why EF deficits are very common in children with SLI when compared with their TD peers; in our review, we found that studies report some type of alteration in EF (assessed by different tests, Table 2 ) in 62%-91% of cases [ 13 , 14 , 17 - 21 , 23 - 25 , 27 , 28 , 30 ].…”

“…Reichenbach (2016) [20] Cross-Sectional Low Kapa (2019) [21] Cross-Sectional Moderate Marton (2014) [22] Cross-Sectional Moderate Quintero (2013) [23] Cross-Sectional Low Im-Bolter (2006) [24] Cross-Sectional Low Schuchardt (2013) [25] Cross-Sectional Low Acosta (2015) [26] Cross-Sectional Low Roello (2014) [27] Cross-Sectional Moderate Vugs (2015) [28] Cross-Sectional Low…”

“…The available literature showcases that school-age children with SLI have significant difficulties in tasks that require EF; when compared with typical development (TD) age-matched children, SLI children present EF deficits in 62%-91% of cases as early as three to four years of age [ 13 , 14 , 17 - 21 , 23 - 25 , 27 , 28 , 30 ]. For instance, a study published in 2012 by Lidstone et al involving 21 SLI children aged 6-10 reported a 41.8% success rate in the Tower of London test, significantly lower than controls [ 16 ].…”

Gelişimsel Dil Bozukluğu Olan Çocuklar: Dil Gelişimi ve Sözel Çalışma Belleği

“…GDB olan bireylerin yaşadıkları dil sorunları zihinsel yetersizlik, işitme kaybı, motor bozukluklar, herhangi bir nörolojik bozukluk (Botting & Conti-Ramsden, 2003) ya da otizm spektrum bozukluğu, beyin hasarı sonucu ortaya çıkan güçlükler, epileptik afazi gibi biyomedikal faktörlere bağlı olmaksızın ortaya çıkmaktadır (Özcebe vd., 2019). Bununla birlikte GDB olan çocukların muhakeme etmede, akıl yürütmede ve yürütücü işlevler gerektiren görevleri yerine getirmede zorlandıkları bilinmektedir (Kapa & Erikson, 2019;Krzemien vd., 2019). GDB'yi açıklayabilmek adına genetik, nörobiyolojik ve bilişsel faktörler araştırılmaya devam edilmektedir.…”

“…Language problems experienced by children with DLD arise when mental disability, hearing loss, motor disorders, any neurological disorder (Botting & Conti-Ramsden, 2003) or autism spectrum disorder, difficulties resulting from brain damage, biomedical factors, such as epileptic aphasia are excluded (Özcebe et al, 2019). However, children with DLD have difficulties in reasoning and performing tasks that require executive functions (Kapa & Erikson, 2019;Krzemien et al, 2019). In order to explain DLD, genetic (Leonard, 2000), neurobiological (Korkmaz, 2005) and cognitive factors continue to be investigated.…”