Application of a Training Program for Executive Functions in a Sample of Egyptian Children With Learning Disorder

Executive Dysfunction Clinical Trial

Official title:

Application of a Training Program for Executive Functions in a Sample of Egyptian Children With Learning Disorder

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Completed

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT05476133
• Other study ID #: 0106137
• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Start date: January 15, 2018
• Est. completion date: May 28, 2020

Study information

• Verified date: July 2022
• Source: Alexandria University
• Contact: n/a
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Study type: Interventional

Clinical Trial Summary

In recent years, significant progress has been made on ways to improve Executive Functions (EF) skills for school readiness involving direct EF training and classroom educational programs. Due to the absence of a well-structured Arabic program for EF training in children, the rationale of this study is to implement a comprehensive, evidence-based intervention program to help Egyptian children with learning disorders to overcome their EF impairment. It uses the multimodality approach to help meet the needs of students with a variety of learning styles. The aim of this study is to adapt the combined form of the "Executive Functions Training-Elementary", and the "Promoting Executive Function In The Classroom" programs and its application in order to test its effectiveness in the rehabilitation of Egyptian learning disordered children.

Description:

The study was conducted on 40 children with dyslexia and Executive dysfunction attending unit of phoniatrics, Otorhinolaryngology department, Alexandria University. The results were compared before and after intervention.

The "Executive Functions Training-Elementary" program is an evidence-based practice that targets Executive function skills in the early elementary years by training students how to plan, execute, complete, and monitor tasks. It develops cognitive abilities and behavior control with classroom-related activities for varying ability levels.

The "Promoting Executive Function In The Classroom" program helps to incorporate Executive function processes (such as planning, organization, prioritizing, and self-checking) into the classroom curriculum. Chapters provide effective strategies for learning by improving how to learn.

Data were collected and entered to the computer using (Statistical Package for Social Science) program for statistical analysis (version 21).

Data were entered as numerical or categorical, as appropriate. Kolmogorov-Smirnov test of normality revealed no significance in the distribution of the variables, so the parametric statistics was adopted.

Data were described using minimum, maximum, mean, standard deviation and 95% Confidence Interval of the mean.

Categorical variables were described using frequency and percentage. Comparisons were carried out between two studied dependent normally distributed variables using paired t-test.

Comparisons were carried out between more than two independent normally distributed subgroups using one-way Analysis Of Variance (ANOVA) test. When F ratio of ANOVA was significant Levene test of homogeneity of variances was done, and if significant Brown-Forsythe Robust test was adopted. Post-hoc multiple comparisons was done using Games-Howell.

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Completed
• Enrollment: 40
• Est. completion date: May 28, 2020
• Est. primary completion date: March 10, 2020
• Accepts healthy volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers
• Gender: All
• Age group: 6 Years to 11 Years

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria:

• children complaining of specific learning disorder and executive function deficits

Exclusion Criteria:

• brain damage, mentally retarded or history of fits or subclinical fits

• hearing or visual impairment

• psychic problems

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Disease
• Executive Dysfunction
• Learning Disabilities
• Learning Disorders

Intervention

Other:
• Executive functions training-elementary and Promoting executive function in in the classroom
evidence based practice that target executive function skills in early elementary years.

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
Egypt	Faculty of Medicine, Alexandria University	Alexandria

Sponsors (1)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
Alexandria University

Country where clinical trial is conducted

Egypt, 

References & Publications (16)

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Alsaedi RH, Carrington S, Watters JJ. Behavioral and Neuropsychological Evaluation of Executive Functions in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder in the Gulf Region. Brain Sci. 2020 Feb 22;10(2). pii: E120. doi: 10.3390/brainsci10020120. — View Citation

Baddeley A. Working memory: theories, models, and controversies. Annu Rev Psychol. 2012;63:1-29. doi: 10.1146/annurev-psych-120710-100422. Epub 2011 Sep 27. Review. — View Citation

Barbosa T, Rodrigues CC, Mello CB, Silva MCSE, Bueno OFA. Executive functions in children with dyslexia. Arq Neuropsiquiatr. 2019 May 13;77(4):254-259. doi: 10.1590/0004-282X20190033. — View Citation

Cortés Pascual A, Moyano Muñoz N, Quílez Robres A. The Relationship Between Executive Functions and Academic Performance in Primary Education: Review and Meta-Analysis. Front Psychol. 2019 Jul 11;10:1582. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01582. eCollection 2019. — View Citation

Cragg L, Keeble S, Richardson S, Roome HE, Gilmore C. Direct and indirect influences of executive functions on mathematics achievement. Cognition. 2017 May;162:12-26. doi: 10.1016/j.cognition.2017.01.014. Epub 2017 Feb 9. — View Citation

Doebel S. Rethinking Executive Function and Its Development. Perspect Psychol Sci. 2020 Jul;15(4):942-956. doi: 10.1177/1745691620904771. Epub 2020 Apr 29. — View Citation

Duran C, Byers A, Cameron CE, Grissmer D. Unique and compensatory associations of executive functioning and visuomotor integration with mathematics performance in early elementary school. Early Child Res Q 2018; 42: 21-30.

Hebert M, Kearns DM, Hayes JB, Bazis P, Cooper S. Why Children With Dyslexia Struggle With Writing and How to Help Them. Lang Speech Hear Serv Sch. 2018 Oct 24;49(4):843-863. doi: 10.1044/2018_LSHSS-DYSLC-18-0024. Review. — View Citation

Huang Y, He M, Li A, Lin Y, Zhang X, Wu K. Personality, Behavior Characteristics, and Life Quality Impact of Children with Dyslexia. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020 Feb 22;17(4). pii: E1415. doi: 10.3390/ijerph17041415. — View Citation

Lensing N, Elsner B. Development of hot and cool executive functions in middle childhood: Three-year growth curves of decision making and working memory updating. J Exp Child Psychol. 2018 Sep;173:187-204. doi: 10.1016/j.jecp.2018.04.002. Epub 2018 May 7. — View Citation

Meixner JM, Warner GJ, Lensing N, Schiefele U. The relation between executive functions and reading comprehension in primary-school students: A cross-lagged-panel analysis. Early Childhood Res Q 2018; 46: 1-13.

Nesbitt KT, Fuhs MW, Farran DC. Stability and instability in the co-development of mathematics, executive function skills, and visual-motor integration from prekindergarten to first grade. Early Childhood Res Q 2018; 1:1-13.

Nguyen T, Duncan G J. Kindergarten components of executive function and third grade achievement: A national study. Early Childhood Res Q 2018; 2:1-13

Op den Kelder R, Van den Akker AL, Geurts HM, Lindauer RJL, Overbeek G. Executive functions in trauma-exposed youth: a meta-analysis. Eur J Psychotraumatol. 2018 May 3;9(1):1450595. doi: 10.1080/20008198.2018.1450595. Review. — View Citation

Sung J, Wickrama K. Longitudinal relationship between early academic achievement and executive function: Mediating role of approaches to learning. Contemp Educ Psychol 2018; 24: 171-83

* Note: There are 16 references in all — Click here to view all references

Outcome

Type	Measure	Description	Time frame	Safety issue
Primary	Self-Management to Time.	scored from 1-4 depending on the parent's answers concerning the child's performance in this item in the last 6 months	3-6 months
Primary	Self-Organization and Problem-Solving	scored from 1-4 depending on the parent's answers concerning the child's performance in this item in the last 6 months	3-6 months
Primary	Self-Restraint.	scored from 1-4 depending on the parent's answers concerning the child's performance in this item in the last 6 months	3-6 months
Primary	Self-Motivation.	scored from 1-4 depending on the parent's answers concerning the child's performance in this item in the last 6 months	3-6 months
Primary	Self-Regulation of Emotion	scored from 1-4 depending on the parent's answers concerning the child's performance in this item in the last 6 months	3-6 months