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Sleep, executive functions, and functional impairment in children with specific learning disorder: An investigation

Nihal Serdengeçti1, Meryem Seçen Yazıcı2, Zehra Koyuncu3

  • 1Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Clinic, Yuksekova Public Hospital, Hakkari, Turkey.

Applied Neuropsychology. Child
|May 17, 2024
PubMed

Insights

Children with Specific Learning Disorders (SLD), especially with ADHD, experience significant sleep and executive function challenges, impacting daily functioning. Executive functions mediate the link between sleep issues and functional impairment in these children.

Area of Science:

  • Neurodevelopmental Disorders
  • Pediatric Psychology
  • Cognitive Neuroscience

Background:

  • Sleep problems and executive dysfunction are linked to functional impairment in children with neurodevelopmental disorders.
  • Specific Learning Disorders (SLD) and comorbid Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) present unique challenges.
  • Understanding these relationships is crucial for effective interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate sleep problems and executive dysfunction in children with SLD and SLD+ADHD.
  • To compare these challenges with typically developing (TD) children.
  • To examine the mediating role of executive functions in the relationship between sleep problems and functional impairment.

Main Methods:

  • Psychiatric evaluations were conducted.
  • Semi-structured interviews were administered to participants.
  • Parent-completed questionnaires were utilized for data collection.

Main Results:

  • The SLD+ADHD group exhibited the poorest scores across all assessed scales.
  • The SLD group showed more difficulties than the TD group.
  • Mediation analysis confirmed that executive functions play a mediating role between sleep problems and functional impairment.

Conclusions:

  • Children with SLD face greater daily living difficulties than TD peers.
  • ADHD comorbidity, poor executive functions, and sleep problems exacerbate functional impairment.
  • Executive functions mediate the relationship between sleep disturbances and functional impairment severity.
Abstract

Keywords:
Attention-Deficit hyperactivity disorderexecutive functionsfunctional impairmentspecific learning disorder

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