scholarly journals A comparative study of executive functions among children with attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder and those with learning disabilities

2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Heba Essam Abou El Wafa ◽  
Soha Abd El Latif Ghobashy ◽  
Aya Maged Hamza
Keyword(s):  
Learning Disabilities ◽  
Problem Solving ◽  
Executive Functions ◽  
Intervention Program ◽  
Spatial Working Memory ◽  
Self Regulation ◽  
Executive Dysfunction ◽  
Learning Disorders ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Group I

Abstract Background Both ADHD and learning disorders have been found to be associated with executive dysfunctions; the executive functions’ (EFs) construct generally involves a series of components—planning, cognitive flexibility, inhibition, attention control, and verbal and visuo-spatial working memory—that work independently in many ways but are closely related. There were no significant studies comparing both disorders and excluding the drug’s effects on executive functions. In our study, we used BDEFS-CA to assess executive functions among a sample of 340 children divided in to four groups: group 1 (100 children), ADHD only; group II (80 children), LD only; group III (60 children), combined ADHD and LD; and group IV (100 children), control group. We included children aged from 6 to 13 of both sexes of average IQ and all had to be drug naive with no sensory impairment or disabling neurological disorder and after their parents’ consent. Results The results showed that there was significant higher affection of the five executive functions domains in the first three groups more than the fourth control group. Furthermore, the self-restraint (response-inhibition) executive dysfunction was the most commonly affected EF in group I while time management EF and self-regulation and problem solving EF were the most commonly affected EF in the LD group. Conclusions Complete executive function profile assessment should be done for children diagnosed with ADHD or learning disability and EF intervention program should be included in the management plan for better outcomes mainly self-restraint EF in case of ADHD and problem solving and self-organization EF in case of learning disabilities

Cognitive Early Education

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Carl Haywood
Keyword(s):  
Information Processing ◽  
Cognitive Development ◽  
Problem Solving ◽  
Executive Functions ◽  
Early Education ◽  
Self Regulation ◽  
Learning Tools ◽  
Mediated Learning ◽  
Cognition And Learning ◽  
The Mind

Cognitive early education, for children between ages 3 and 6 years, is designed to help learners develop and apply logic tools of systematic thinking, perceiving, learning, and problem-solving, usually as supplements to the content-oriented preschool and kindergarten curricula. Key concepts in cognitive early education include metacognition, executive functions, motivation, cognition, and learning. Most programs of cognitive early education are based on conceptions of cognitive development attributed to Jean Piaget, Lev S. Vygotsky, A. R. Luria, and Reuven Feuerstein. Piagetians and neoPiagetians hold that children must construct their personal repertoire of basic thinking processes on the basis of their early experience at gathering, assimilating, and reconciling knowledge. Vygotskians and neoVygotskians believe that cognitive development comes about through adults’ mediation of basic learning tools, which children internalize and apply. Adherents to Feuerstein’s concepts likewise accord a prominent role to mediated learning experiences. Followers of Luria believe that important styles of information processing underlie learning processes. Most programs emphasize, to varying degrees, habits of metacognition, that is, thinking about one’s own thinking as well as selecting and applying learning and problem-solving strategies. An important subset of metacognition is development and application of executive functions: self-regulation, management of one’s intellectual resources. Helping children to develop the motivation to learn and to derive satisfaction from information processing and learning is an important aspect of cognitive early education. Widely used programs of cognitive early education include Tools of the Mind, Bright Start, FIE-Basic, Des Procedures aux Concepts (DPC), PREP/COGENT, and Systematic Concept Teaching.

Effects of a simple reminiscence intervention program on the reminiscence functions in older adults

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Encarnación Satorres ◽  
Iraida Delhom ◽  
Juan C. Meléndez
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Problem Solving ◽  
Intervention Program ◽  
Intervention Group ◽  
The Self ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Identity Problem ◽  
Healthy Older Adults ◽  
Positive Functions

ABSTRACT Objectives: Reminiscence promotes the acceptance of oneself and others, a sense of meaning, and the integration of the present and the past. The currently accepted classification contains eight reminiscence functions grouped in three broader functions: self-positive functions (identity, problem-solving, and death preparation); self-negative functions (bitterness revival, boredom reduction, and intimacy maintenance); and prosocial functions (conversation and teach-inform). The main objective of this study was to investigate how the eight dimensions change over time in a sample of healthy older adults after an intervention based on simple reminiscence and subsequent follow-up. Design: Participants were randomly assigned to the treatment or control group. Setting: Participants were evaluated individually before, immediately after, and 3 months after the intervention. Participants: Participants included 139 healthy older adults (71 intervention group and 68 control group). Intervention: Ten weekly sessions lasting 2 hours each were administered, based on a simple reminiscence program. Measurements: Participants were assessed with the Reminiscence Functions Scale. Results: After the intervention, in the treatment group, there was a significant increase in the self-positive functions of problem-solving and death preparation, and these effects were maintained even at the follow-up; there was a significant reduction in the self-negative functions of bitterness revival and intimacy maintenance; and there was a significant increase in the prosocial function of conversation. Conclusions: When applying an intervention based on reminiscence, it is important to evaluate how it influences these functions because this information can help us to modify the objectives of the intervention and increase its effectiveness.

Metacognition and Meta-Affect in Young Students: Does it Make a Difference in Mathematical Problem Solving?

2017 ◽  
Vol 119 (13) ◽  
pp. 1-26
Author(s):  
Meirav Tzohar-Rozen ◽  
Bracha Kramarski
Keyword(s):  
Problem Solving ◽  
Mathematical Problem ◽  
Self Regulation ◽  
The Self ◽  
Mathematical Problem Solving ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Affective Reactions ◽  
Thinking Aloud ◽  
Young Students ◽  
The Impact

Mathematical problem solving is one of the most valuable aspects of mathematics education and the most difficult for elementary school students. Cognitive and metacognitive difficulties in this area cause students to develop negative attitudes and emotions as affective reactions, hampering their efforts and achievements. These metacognitive and meta-affective reactions are fundamental aspects of self-regulated learning (SRL), a non-innate process that requires systematic, explicit student training. This study investigated the impact of two self-regulation programs among young students (Grade 5)—metacognition (n = 64) and meta-affect (n = 54) versus a control group (n =53)—on enhancing achievements in mathematical verbal problem solving and a novel transfer task, as well as metacognitive and meta-affective regulation processes of a focus group during a thinking-aloud solution. Mixed methods indicate that students who participated in the metacognitive and meta-affective intervention programs presented similar but higher achievements than the control group. Additionally, during the thinking-aloud solution, students from each group broadly implemented the self-regulation processes they were trained in, while consistently referring to all the self-regulation phases. The current study makes an important contribution to practical implications for students with diverse abilities.

scholarly journals The INECO Frontal Screening tool differentiates behavioral variant - frontotemporal dementia (bv-FTD) from major depression

2013 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 33-39 ◽  
Author(s):  
Natalia Fiorentino ◽  
Ezequiel Gleichgerrcht ◽  
María Roca ◽  
Marcelo Cetkovich ◽  
Facundo Manes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Differential Diagnosis ◽  
Major Depression ◽  
Inhibitory Control ◽  
Spatial Working Memory ◽  
Unipolar Depression ◽  
Executive Dysfunction ◽  
Verbal Working Memory ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Clinical Conditions

ABSTRACT Executive dysfunction may result from prefrontal circuitry involvement occurring in both neurodegenerative diseases and psychiatric disorders. Moreover, multiple neuropsychiatric conditions, may present with overlapping behavioral and cognitive symptoms, making differential diagnosis challenging, especially during earlier stages. In this sense, cognitive assessment may contribute to the differential diagnosis by providing an objective and quantifiable set of measures that has the potential to distinguish clinical conditions otherwise perceived in everyday clinical settings as quite similar. Objective: The goal of this study was to investigate the utility of the INECO Frontal Screening (IFS) for differentiating bv-FTD patients from patients with Major Depression. Methods: We studied 49 patients with bv-FTD diagnosis and 30 patients diagnosed with unipolar depression compared to a control group of 26 healthy controls using the INECO Frontal Screening (IFS), the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) and the Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination-Revised (ACE-R). Results: Patient groups differed significantly on the motor inhibitory control (U=437.0, p<0.01), verbal working memory (U=298.0, p<0.001), spatial working memory (U=300.5, p<0.001), proverbs (U=341.5, p<0.001) and verbal inhibitory control (U=316.0, p<0.001) subtests, with bv-FTD patients scoring significantly lower than patients with depression. Conclusion: Our results suggest the IFS can be considered a useful tool for detecting executive dysfunction in both depression and bv-FTD patients and, perhaps more importantly, that it has the potential to help differentiate these two conditions.

scholarly journals Effects of Acute Exercise on Executive Function: A Study With a Tower of London Task

2011 ◽  
Vol 33 (6) ◽  
pp. 847-865 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yu-Kai Chang ◽  
Chia-Liang Tsai ◽  
Tsung-Min Hung ◽  
Edmund Cheung So ◽  
Feng-Tzu Chen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Problem Solving ◽  
Executive Functions ◽  
Aerobic Exercise ◽  
Acute Exercise ◽  
Exercise Group ◽  
Control Treatment ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Tower Of London ◽  
Acute Bout ◽  
Vigorous Intensity

The purpose of this study is to extend the literature by examining the effects of an acute bout of moderate to vigorous intensity aerobic exercise on the executive functions of planning and problem solving assessed using a Tower of London Task (TOL Task). Forty-two participants were randomly assigned into either exercise or control group, and performed the TOL Task, before and immediately following exercise or a control treatment. The exercise group performed 30 min of exercise on a stationary cycle at moderate to vigorous intensity while the control group read for the same length of time. Results indicated that the exercise group achieved improvements in TOL Task scores reflecting the quality of planning and problem solving, but not in those reflecting rule adherence and performance speed. These findings indicate that an acute bout of aerobic exercise has facilitative effects on the executive functions of planning and problem solving.

scholarly journals Cognitive stimulation in children at social risk: its transference to school performance

2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 34-45 ◽  
Author(s):  
Celina Graciela Korzeniowski ◽  
Mirta Susana Ison ◽  
Hilda Difabio
Keyword(s):  
Executive Functions ◽  
School Performance ◽  
Intervention Program ◽  
Word Identification ◽  
Cognitive Intervention ◽  
Control Word ◽  
Cognitive Stimulation ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Social Risk ◽  
Quasi Experimental

The present study set out to evaluate the effectiveness of a group cognitive intervention aimed at promoting executive functions in children at social risk, and its resulting effect on school performance. The quasi-experimental, pretest-posttest design included a control group. The sample was made up of 178 children (52% boys), aged 6-10. The children were evaluated by means of a battery of neuropsychological EF tests, learning achievement tests, and a teacher-rated behavioral EF scale. The intervention program included 30 group cognitive stimulation sessions that increased in difficulty and was embedded into school curricula. Trained children performed better in terms of cognitive flexibility, planning, metacognition, inhibitory control, word identification and dictation, as compared to their baseline values and children in the control group. This study provides new evidence of the effectiveness of cognitive interventions in children and its possibility to transfer cognitive gains to school performance contexts.Key words: cognitive intervention, executive functions, school performance, children, poverty.

scholarly journals The Relationship Between Executive Functions and Prospective Memory in Primary School-Age Children with Symptoms of Subthreshold ADHD

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 48-67
Author(s):  
I.V. Zapesotskaya ◽  
Z.V. Chuikova
Keyword(s):  
Executive Functions ◽  
Primary School ◽  
Prospective Memory ◽  
Digit Span ◽  
Self Regulation ◽  
School Age Children ◽  
Control Group ◽  
School Age ◽  
Learning Abilities ◽  
Primary School Age

The article presents results of the research of relations between executive functions and prospective memory in primary school-age children with symptoms of subthreshold attention deficit hyperactivity syndrome (ADHD). The ADHD Assessment Scale ― ICD-10 criteria (Sukhotina, 2008) and Observation Form for Recording ADHD Behaviors During Academic Performance in the Clinic or in School) (Carter, 1994) were used to assess the symptoms of ADHD. Cognitive functions were assessed using the Wisconsin Sorting Card Test (Grant &amp; Berg, 1948), Сanum (Gutierrez-Martinez, 2018), Вlock span (Isaacs, Vargha-Khadem, 1989), Digit span-backward (Wechsler, 1997), and measurement by Ana B. Cejudo (Cejudo, 2019). 51 children were recruited, 27 subjects were 6–7 years old and 24 subjects were 10 years old. All participants were divided into 2 control groups (children with typical development) and 2 experimental groups (children with symptoms of subthreshold ADHD). Overall, it was found that children in the group of 6–7 years old with symptoms of subthreshold ADHD have no significant differences with children from the control group in basal components of executive function: working memory, cognitive flexibility and executive attention. However, they show a decrease in learning abilities, self-regulation and an increase of non-perseverative errors along with the fall of event-based prospective memory. Children in the group of 10 years old with symptoms of subthreshold ADHD also showed the fall of learning abilities and prospective memory. The results of correlation analysis show that subjects with symptoms of subthreshold ADHD have changes in the systemic ― functional level which appear as a decreasing amount of links between executive functions and features of prospective memory.

scholarly journals Effect of a parent-provided early intervention program on infant health and development: a randomized controlled trial

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 695
Author(s):  
Basavaraj K. ◽  
Sireesha S. ◽  
Suresh J.
Keyword(s):  
Randomized Controlled Trial ◽  
Early Intervention ◽  
Problem Solving ◽  
Intervention Program ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Intervention Group ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Early Intervention Program ◽  
Problem Solving Skills ◽  
Randomized Controlled

Background: Early Intervention Program (EIP) is a unique way of providing ideal stimulation, education and care for children. EIP are designed to provide detection, treatment, prevention of handicaps, developmental delays, and environmental deprivation as early in a child's life as possible. Objective of present study were to assess the effect of parent-provided EIP on infant cognitive, psychomotor and socio- emotional behaviors at the completion of age 12 months and to evaluate whether these effects were moderated by the infant feeding practices, general health status and socio-demographic characters.Methods: The present study was randomized controlled trial conducted at villages under Vantamuri PHC area attached to J.N Medical College, Belgaum during the period May 2012 to August 2013, with a sample size of 64, full term, normal babies and weighing ≥2.5 kg. At the end of 12 months, babies were assessed by an independent evaluator using BSID-II and ASQ/SE questionnaire.Results: In the present study the mental index (MDI) scores were higher in intervention group than control group (106.63 Vs 94.45, P=0.0001). Problem solving skills were higher in intervention group compared to control group (21.33 Vs 11.56, P=0.000). Person social skills were higher for intervention compared to control (27.66 Vs 22.34, P=0.001). Children with fewer episodes of diarrhea and acute respiratory infections showed better performance.Conclusions: Early Intervention Program effectively increases the cognitive, person social, problem solving and socio-emotional skills at 12 months of age.

scholarly journals Executive functions are impaired in adolescents engaging in non-suicidal self-injury

2010 ◽  
Vol 41 (3) ◽  
pp. 601-610 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. T. Fikke ◽  
A. Melinder ◽  
N. I. Landrø
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Executive Functions ◽  
Spatial Working Memory ◽  
Neuropsychological Test ◽  
Group Differences ◽  
Control Group ◽  
High Severity ◽  
Self Injury ◽  
Diagnostic Characteristics ◽  
Males And Females

BackgroundThe aim of this study was to investigate three main aspects of executive functions (EFs), i.e. shifting, updating and inhibition, in adolescents engaging in non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) as compared with healthy controls.MethodEFs were assessed using the Intra/Extradimensional Set Shift, the Spatial Working Memory (SWM) Test and the Stop Signal Test (SST) from the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB), in a high-severity NSSI group (n=33), a low-severity NSSI group (n=29) and a healthy control group (n=35). Diagnostic characteristics were examined using the Kiddie-Sads-Present and Lifetime Version.ResultsThere were group differences on the SWM Test. A trend towards an interaction effect of sex revealed that males in the high-severity NSSI group made significantly more errors than males and females in the control group. Both males and females in the high-severity NSSI group made poor use of an efficient strategy in completing the test. The low-severity NSSI group performed poorly on the SST, making more errors than the control group and showing an impaired ability to inhibit initiated responses, as compared with the high-severity NSSI group. There were group differences in frequencies of current and previous major depressive disorder. However, no effects of these diagnoses were found on any of the EF tests.ConclusionsThis study demonstrates that NSSI subgroups have distinct deficits in EFs. The high-severity NSSI group has working memory deficits, while the low-severity NSSI group has impaired inhibitory control. This supports the emotion regulation hypothesis.

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