Valeria Escobar-Ruiz, Pedro I. Arias-Vázquez, Carlos A. Tovilla-Zárate, Eduardo Doval, Maria C. Jané-Ballabriga
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
Objectives
Neurodevelopmental disorders present deficits in executive functions (EFs). Before 36 months old, EFs act as basic abilities that allow adequate executive functioning at later ages. Three basic EFs are assessable before the child reaches 36 months old: working memory, inhibition, and cognitive flexibility. This review aims to provide an overview of the progress and difficulties in assessing these three basic executive functions before children reach 36 months old.
Methods
Four databases were systematically searched without time or language limitations. The selection process was done using a PRISMA flowchart for scoping reviews. Sixteen studies were included, all in English and published between 2004 and 2021.
Results
Out of 277 studies, 16 met the inclusion criteria. The general data of the studies were summarized, such as sample age, type of study, measurement features, types of EFs assessed, task names, internal structure, reliability, and main contributions. The findings on available tasks and scales, factor structure, biological and environmental factors, and the variables influencing EFs before 36 months old are described.
Conclusions
Multiple factors influenced the evolution of EFs. The unidimensional model seems to better explain EFs before 36 months old. Expanding psychometric research with large samples and studying samples of children with symptoms at risk for neurodevelopmental disorders may help to improve the measurement of EFs before 36 months old.
期刊介绍：
Advances in Neurodevelopmental Disorders publishes high-quality research in the broad area of neurodevelopmental disorders across the lifespan. Study participants may include individuals with:Intellectual and developmental disabilitiesGlobal developmental delayCommunication disordersLanguage disordersSpeech sound disordersChildhood-onset fluency disorders (e.g., stuttering)Social (e.g., pragmatic) communication disordersUnspecified communication disordersAutism spectrum disorder (ASD)Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), specified and unspecifiedSpecific learning disordersMotor disordersDevelopmental coordination disordersStereotypic movement disorderTic disorders, specified and unspecifiedOther neurodevelopmental disorders, specified and unspecifiedPapers may also include studies of participants with neurodegenerative disorders that lead to a decline in intellectual functioning, including Alzheimer’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, vascular dementia, Lewy body dementia, frontotemporal dementia, corticobasal degeneration, Huntington’s disease, and progressive supranuclear palsy. The journal includes empirical, theoretical and review papers on a large variety of issues, populations, and domains, including but not limited to: diagnosis; incidence and prevalence; and educational, pharmacological, behavioral and cognitive behavioral, mindfulness, and psychosocial interventions across the life span. Animal models of basic research that inform the understanding and treatment of neurodevelopmental disorders are also welcomed. The journal is multidisciplinary and multi-theoretical, and encourages research from multiple specialties in the social sciences using quantitative and mixed-method research methodologies.
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