Predicting Parent Report of Executive Functioning in 36-Month-Old Toddlers with Parent Reported Communication Capabilities

Authors

• JD Harrison
• C Farmer
• A Thurm

Abstract

The development of executive functions is key for successful social and emotional development, and executive functioning skills begin developing in toddlerhood. The development of these critical functions appears influenced by early communication capability, based on the theoretical proposition that formal language use develops constructs, such as mental representation and rule structure, which are necessary for the typical development of executive functioning. We examine this developmental pathway early on here, and hypothesize that early communication skills, measured at 18 months will statistically predict standard scores from a parent report measure of executive functioning that includes indices of inhibitory self-control and metacognition at 36 months. A sample of 33 toddlers was followed in a natural history study, and administered the Vineland Scales of Adaptive Behavior, Second Edition (VABS-II) at 18-months, and the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function, Preschool Edition (BRIEF-P), at 36-months. Scores from the VABS-II communication domain significantly correlated with all BRIEF-P composite scales (average r=0.54, with p-values

Scientific Focus Area: Social and Behavioral Sciences

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