Modeling the Latent Factor Structure of the "EXcEEDS" (EXecutive function Early Evaluation in Down Syndrome) Battery.

Abstract

Executive function (EF) is frequently an area of vulnerability in conditions associated with intellectual disability, like Down syndrome (DS). However, current EF evaluation approaches are not designed for children with underlying neurodevelopmental conditions and may not demonstrate construct validity due to interpretational confounds. The current study evaluated the construct validity of a novel battery designed to reduce measurement confounds in the assessment of EF in young children with DS. Participants were 124 children with DS (ages 2 to 8 years) who completed a set of adapted EF tasks. Exploratory graph analysis demonstrated that a two-factor solution (an Inhibition factor and a Working Memory/Flexibility factor) was the best fit for the data, providing evidence of construct validity for the adapted EF battery.