Executive Functions and Language Development in Pre-Term and Full-Term Children

  1. Pérez-Pereira, Miguel 2
  2. Peralbo, Manuel 1
  3. Veleiro, Alberto 1
  1. 1 University of la Coruña
  2. 2 Universidade de Santiago de Compostela
    info

    Universidade de Santiago de Compostela

    Santiago de Compostela, España

    ROR https://ror.org/030eybx10

Buch:
Literacy Studies

ISSN: 2214-000X,  2214-0018

ISBN: 9783319536453,  9783319536460

Datum der Publikation: 2017

Seiten: 91-112

Art: Buch-Kapitel

DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-53646-0_4 GOOGLE SCHOLAR lock_openOpen Access editor

Zusammenfassung

Research question. The present study aims to compare one group of preterm (PT) children and another group of full-term children in their executive functions (EFs) and linguistic abilities, and to study if executive functions abilities may predict language development.Background and rationale. The term executive functions include a series of cognitive control processes related to the achievement of goals, such as planning, updating of information in working memory, inhibitory control of inappropriate responses, or shifting flexibility. EFs are considered to be involved in neurodevelopment problems. Extremely and very preterm children were found to show deficits of small to moderate magnitude in certain EFs tasks as compared to full-term children (Aarnoudse-Moens, Duivenvoorden, Weisglas-Kuperus, Van Goudoever, & Oosterlaan, 2012). It remains to check if these deficits also affect low risk preterm children. Relationships between EFs and language development are well known, particularly those concerning working memory. However, children with language difficulties seem to show deficits in other EFs as well.Methods. A sample of low risk PT children originally formed by 151 children and another group of 49 FT children were longitudinally followed from birth to the age of 5 years. Different tasks to assess executive functions were applied to the children when they were 4, and 5 years of age, among them: language working memory, visuospatial working memory, inhibitory control, risk taking strategies, flexibility, and sustained attention. Different dimensions of language development were assessed through different tests at the same ages: language comprehension, phonological development, vocabulary comprehension, morphosyntactic production, comprehension of grammar structures and pragmatics.Results. PT children did not obtain lower results than the FT children in any EFs task, with the exception of more errors committed in the rapid naming task. The group of PT children tended to show lower results than the FT children in all language tests, although significant differences were only found in language comprehension (RDLS) at age 4.Linear regression analyses indicate that EFs, verbal sequential memory and performance in rapid naming task in particular, had a significant effect on phonological development, productive ability in morphophonology, pragmatic development, and grammar understanding.Discussion. The results found indicate that low risk PT children do not show generalized delays in executive functions or language development, in contrast to extremely or very PT children. Executive functions were found to have a moderate predictive effect on the development of several language dimensions, although not so strong on others. Verbal sequential memory, in the first place, attention and inhibitory control seem to have the strongest effect on language, particularly on phonological development, grammar development (comprehension and production) and pragmatic abilities.

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