Executive performance on the preschool executive task assessment in children with sickle cell anemia and matched controls |
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| Authors: | Michelle Downes Fenella J. Kirkham Christine Berg Paul Telfer Michelle de Haan |
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| Affiliation: | 1. School of Psychology, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland;2. Developmental Neurosciences, UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, UK;3. Developmental Neurosciences, UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, UK;4. School of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis, MO, USA;5. Barts Health NHS Trust, Royal London Hospital, London, UK |
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| Abstract: | Executive deficits are commonly reported in children with sickle cell anemia. Earlier identification of executive deficits would give more scope for intervention, but this cognitive domain has not been routinely investigated due to a lack of age-appropriate tasks normed for preschool children. In particular, information relating to patient performance on an executive task that reflects an everyday activity in the classroom could provide important insight and practical recommendations for the classroom teacher at this key developmental juncture as they enter the academic domain. The performance of 22 children with sickle cell anemia was compared to 24 matched control children on the Preschool Executive Task Assessment. Findings reveal that children with sickle cell anemia are performing poorer than their matched peers on this multi-step assessment. In particular, children with sickle cell anemia required more structured support to shift focus after a completed step, as reflected by poorer scores in the quantitative Sequencing and Completion domains. They also required more support to stay on task, as seen by poorer ratings in the qualitative Distractibility domain. Abbreviations:PETA: Preschool Executive Task Assessment; SCA: Sickle Cell Anemia; EF: Executive Functioning. |
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| Keywords: | Executive function neuropsychological assessment preschool sickle cell disease sickle cell anemia neurodevelopmental disorders |
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