Abstract
The article, “Executive Function Deficits in Language Impairment,” in this issue of Word of Mouth, based on a study by Yanga and Gray (2017), reported that children with PLI are highly likely to exhibit EF deficits. Self-regulation ability is associated with executive functioning. Self-regulation involves modulating systems of emotion, attention, and behavior in response to a given situation or stimulus. Preschoolers’ school readiness is supported by a range of skills that fall under the rubric of self-regulation (e.g., Blair, 2002; Raver, 2002). This includes managing emotions, shifting or focusing attention, and both inhibiting and activating behaviors—some of the very behaviors that Yanga and Gray (2017) reported are deficient in children with PLI. They recommended that speech–language pathologists include EF training as part of their language intervention sessions. If one is to provide intervention, one should also conduct assessment of the targeted intervention areas.
Yanga and Gray (2017) used the Strengths and Weaknesses of ADHD Symptoms and Normal Behavior Scale (SWAN), a questionnaire that asks parents to answer questions regarding their child’s attention and impulse control. The SWAN can be found in an article available as a free download from this site: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4618695/.
Educators, speech–language pathologists, and occupational therapists would find it helpful to have a more direct measure or assessment of children’s self-regulation. Smith-Donald, Raver, Hayes, and Richardson (2007) developed a tool, the Preschool Self-Regulation Assessment (PSRA), to directly assess three aspects of self-regulation: emotion regulation, attention regulation, and behavioral regulation in 3- to 5-year-old children. The PSRA also includes an Assessor’s Report Examination Scale on which the assessor evaluates the child’s behavior during the testing on items, such as pays attention during instructions and demonstrations, sustains concentration, willing to try repetitive tasks, is careless or destructive with test materials, and thinks and plans before beginning each task. The Assessor’s Report provides a global picture of children’s emotions, attention, and behavior throughout the assessor–child interaction.
The PSRA is available as a free download at: http://steinhardt.nyu.edu/ihdsc/csrp/psra/registration
The PSRA has the following tasks:
Toy Wrap: Child is asked not to peek while the assessor noisily wrapped a “surprise.”
Toy Wait: Child is directed to wait without touching the wrapped “surprise.”
Snack Delay: Child is instructed to wait for a signal before “finding” an M&M under a clear cup.
Balance Beam: After walking along a line once, child is directed to walk the same line slowly.
Tower Task: Child is instructed to take turns with the assessor placing blocks to build a tower.
Pencil Tap: Child is to tap once when assessor taps twice and tap twice when assessor taps once.
Tower Clean up: Child is instructed to clean up the blocks from Tower Task.
Toy Sort: Child is asked to sort and put away small toys without playing with them.
Toy Return: Child is asked to return a fun toy after a brief period of play.
The measurement for the pencil tap task is percent of correct responses; for the balance beam, it is the difference between slow and regular trials; for the other tasks, the measurements were latency to respond or complete the task. The toy wrap, toy wait, and snack delay assess impulse control; the other tasks evaluated compliance/executive control.
Children’s attention/impulse control evaluated by the Assessor Report and task performance and their task-based compliance/executive control was associated with their behavior and social skills in the classroom as reported by their teachers. Children who were reported by assessors as more attentive and less impulsive were less likely to be reported by teachers as impulsive, disobedient, or withdrawn. Attentive and patient behavior on the assessment was also associated with children’s ability to negotiate conflicts and work well with other children as reported by teachers. An even stronger positive association was observed between teacher-perceived social competence and children’s organized and effective task execution—Compliance/Executive Control(T). And these same, well-organized children were also less likely to be reported as anxious, clingy, or withdrawn by their teachers. Positive emotion, as evaluated in the Assessor’s Report, was correlated with children’s math and verbal skills.
The SWAN and two components of the PSRA do not yield standardized, normative scores but do provide professionals with a way to describe and quantify children’s self-regulation abilities.