Controlling the narrative: the relationship between narrative ability and executive functioning in children with...

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Developmental Psychology
• Linguistics

Background:

• Children with developmental language disorder (DLD) exhibit difficulties in language comprehension and production, particularly in narrative abilities.
• Impaired oral narrative skills in early development negatively impact social interaction, mental health, and later literacy.
• Executive functioning (EF) is crucial for storytelling, involving planning, temporal/causal ordering, and character/event switching.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the interconnectedness of narrative ability components and executive functioning (EF) in children with DLD.
• To explore how working memory, switching, and inhibition interact with narrative comprehension and production.
• To identify potential directions for narrative assessment and intervention in DLD.

Main Methods:

• Literature review examining the relationship between narrative ability and EF in children with DLD.
• Analysis of studies focusing on three components of narrative ability: comprehension, macrostructure production, and microstructure production.
• Investigation of the role of three core EF components: working memory, switching, and inhibition, alongside attention.

Main Results:

• Working memory, specifically updating and monitoring information, significantly impacts all three components of narrative ability.
• Difficulties in storytelling for children with DLD may stem from both language impairments and executive functioning deficits.
• Both language and EF follow hierarchical developmental paths in early childhood, potentially exacerbating DLD challenges.

Conclusions:

• Working memory plays a critical role across narrative comprehension and production in children with DLD.
• Findings suggest that interventions targeting working memory may improve narrative skills in DLD.
• Further research is needed to fully understand the complex interplay between language and executive control in DLD.