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Updated: May 22, 2026
Measuring the Functional Abilities of Children Aged 3-6 Years Old with Observational Methods and Computer Tools
Published on: June 20, 2020
Executive functions of six-year-old boys with normal birth weight and gestational age
Desiree Yee-Ling Phua1, Anne Rifkin-Graboi, Seang-Mei Saw
1Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences, The Agency for Science, Technology and Research, Singapore, Singapore.
Insights
Even within the normal range, better fetal growth and maturity are linked to improved executive functions in boys. This suggests subtle variations in fetal development impact cognitive pathways relevant to attention and learning.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Psychology
- Pediatrics
Background:
- Impaired fetal development is linked to increased psychopathology risk, including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
- Cognitive pathways connecting fetal development to mental health remain largely unknown.
- Existing data highlight risks but lack detailed understanding of executive function links within the normal range.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between normal birth weight and gestational age and specific executive functions in six-year-old boys.
- To explore how fetal growth and maturity within the typical range influence cognitive abilities.
Main Methods:
- Studied 195 Singaporean boys of Chinese ethnicity aged six.
- Utilized birth weight adjusted for gestational age as a fetal growth indicator and gestational age for fetal maturity.
- Employed linear regression to analyze associations with executive function tasks.
Main Results:
- Increased fetal growth within the normal range correlated with better rule-learning (intra/extra-dimensional shift task).
- Higher fetal growth was associated with improved visual information retention (delayed matching to sample task).
- Boys born at term with higher gestational age showed faster, more consistent reaction times (stop-signal task).
Conclusions:
- Variations in fetal growth and maturity, even within normal parameters, distinctly affect specific executive functions.
- These findings suggest that subtle differences in fetal development can influence cognitive pathways relevant to ADHD and other neurodevelopmental outcomes.
- Highlights the importance of considering nuanced fetal development factors for understanding childhood cognitive trajectories.
Abstract:
Impaired fetal development, reflected by low birth weight or prematurity, predicts an increased risk for psychopathology, especially attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Such effects cut across the normal range of birth weight and gestation. Despite the strength of existing epidemiological data, cognitive pathways that link fetal development to mental health are largely unknown. In this study we examined the relation of birth weight (>2500 g) and gestational age (37-41 weeks) within the normal range with specific executive functions in 195 Singaporean six-year-old boys of Chinese ethnicity. Birth weight adjusted for gestational age was used as indicator of fetal growth while gestational age was indicative of fetal maturity. Linear regression revealed that increased fetal growth within the normal range is associated with an improved ability to learn rules during the intra/extra-dimensional shift task and to retain visual information for short period of time during the delayed matching to sample task. Moreover, faster and consistent reaction times during the stop-signal task were observed among boys born at term, but with higher gestational age. Hence, even among boys born at term with normal birth weight, variations in fetal growth and maturity showed distinct effects on specific executive functions.
