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Executive Functions in Children With Specific Language Impairment: A Meta-Analysis
Laura J Pauls1, Lisa M D Archibald1
1The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada.
Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research : JSLHR
|September 23, 2016
Summary
Children with specific language impairment (SLI) show significant deficits in cognitive flexibility and inhibitory control compared to their peers. These challenges persist across development, regardless of language severity or task demands.
Area of Science:
- Child Psychology
- Neurodevelopmental Disorders
- Cognitive Science
Background:
- Specific language impairment (SLI) is increasingly recognized to involve non-linguistic cognitive deficits.
- Executive functions, such as inhibition and cognitive flexibility, are crucial for overall development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To meta-analytically examine differences in inhibition and cognitive flexibility between children with and without SLI.
- To investigate potential moderators influencing these cognitive differences.
Main Methods:
- A meta-analysis was conducted on 46 studies comparing children aged 4-14 with and without SLI.
- Behavioral measures of inhibitory control and cognitive flexibility were analyzed using multilevel modeling to calculate effect sizes.
Main Results:
- Children with SLI demonstrated significant deficits in both inhibitory control (g = -0.56) and cognitive flexibility (g = -0.27).
- Moderator analyses revealed no significant impact of linguistic task demands, participant age, or language impairment severity on these deficits.
Conclusions:
- Reliable differences in inhibition and cognitive flexibility exist between children with and without SLI.
- These executive function deficits are present throughout development and are not solely tied to linguistic factors.
