Executive and intellectual functioning in school-aged children with specific language impairment

Area of Science:

• Child Psychology
• Developmental Neuroscience
• Speech-Language Pathology

Background:

• Specific Language Impairment (SLI) is often linked to nonverbal cognitive and executive function (EF) deficits.
• EF deficits can significantly affect daily activities in home and school settings.
• Limited research exists on EFs in school-aged children with SLI, particularly outside English and Dutch linguistic contexts.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate differences in executive functions (EFs) between Finnish-speaking school-aged children with SLI and typically developing (TD) peers.
• To compare EFs between groups, both with and without controlling for nonverbal intelligence.

Main Methods:

• Utilized The Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Functions (BRIEF) completed by parents and teachers for children with SLI (n=22) and TD peers (n=22).
• Employed conditional logistic regression models, with and without controlling for nonverbal IQ, to compare BRIEF ratings.
• Assessed intellectual functioning using the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children.

Main Results:

• Children with SLI exhibited poorer scores across all parent and teacher BRIEF scales compared to TD peers.
• Significant differences were observed in BRIEF scales: Shift, Emotional Control, Initiate, Working Memory, Plan/Organize, and Monitor.
• Group differences in intellectual functioning were also statistically significant, with some BRIEF scale differences persisting after controlling for nonverbal IQ.

Conclusions:

• This study confirms that Finnish-speaking school-aged children with SLI are at risk for executive function deficits impacting daily life.
• Executive functions are crucial and may influence long-term developmental outcomes.
• Clinical practice should prioritize assessing and addressing EFs in school-aged children with SLI during evaluations and intervention planning.