ERIC Number: EJ1144717
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2017
Pages: 14
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0022-2194
EISSN: N/A
Developmental Delays in Executive Function from 3 to 5 Years of Age Predict Kindergarten Academic Readiness
Willoughby, Michael T.; Magnus, Brooke; Vernon-Feagans, Lynne; Blair, Clancy B.
Journal of Learning Disabilities, v50 n4 p359-372 Jul-Aug 2017
Substantial evidence has established that individual differences in executive function (EF) in early childhood are uniquely predictive of children's academic readiness at school entry. The current study tested whether growth trajectories of EF across the early childhood period could be used to identify a subset of children who were at pronounced risk for academic impairment in kindergarten. Using data that were collected at the age 3, 4, and 5 home assessments in the Family Life Project (N = 1,120), growth mixture models were used to identify 9% of children who exhibited impaired EF performance (i.e., persistently low levels of EF that did not show expected improvements across time). Compared to children who exhibited typical trajectories of EF, the delayed group exhibited substantial impairments in multiple indicators of academic readiness in kindergarten (Cohen's ds = 0.9-2.7; odds ratios = 9.8-23.8). Although reduced in magnitude following control for a range of socioeconomic and cognitive (general intelligence screener, receptive vocabulary) covariates, moderate-sized group differences remained (Cohen's ds = 0.2-2.4; odds ratios = 3.9-5.4). Results are discussed with respect to the use of repeated measures of EF as a method of early identification, as well as the resulting translational implications of doing so.
Descriptors: Executive Function, Young Children, Kindergarten, School Readiness, Predictor Variables, Child Development, Developmental Delays, At Risk Persons, Short Term Memory, Inhibition, Preschool Teachers, Rating Scales, Achievement Tests, Cognitive Development, Intelligence Tests, Verbal Ability, Vocabulary, Statistical Analysis, Individual Characteristics, Attention
SAGE Publications and Hammill Institute on Disabilities. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: http://sagepub.com
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Kindergarten; Primary Education; Early Childhood Education; Preschool Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) (NIH); Institute of Education Sciences (ED); National Institute on Drug Abuse (DHHS/PHS)
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: North Carolina; Pennsylvania
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: Woodcock Johnson Tests of Achievement; Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence; Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test
IES Funded: Yes
Grant or Contract Numbers: R01HD51502; P01HD39667; R324A120033