Article

OBJECTIVE: To assess executive function in children with developmental dyspraxia.
METHOD: Inclusion criteria : children aged 8years to 12years 5months
at the time of the study, diagnosed with developmental dyspraxia between January,
2008 and August, 2009 by a multidisciplinary team in one single center.
ASSESSMENT TOOLS: (1) Paper-and-pencil neuropsychological and ecological tests to
assess flexibility, planning, inhibition and prospective memory; (2) two
questionnaires answered by parents; (3) the 'Children's Cooking Task' (CCT), an
ecological task performed in a real environment
(Chevignard et al., 2009 [15]).
In this last test, children were compared to matched controls. Non-parametric
statistical tests were used. RESULTS: Thirteen patients participated in the study
(11 boys-2 girls; mean age 10.3years [SD=1.3]). Neuropsychological tests
highlighted planning and inhibition disorders, but no impaired flexibility. For
more than half of the children, the questionnaires indicated impaired executive
functions in daily life tasks. Finally, patients showed a significantly increased
rate of errors during the CCT, compared with the control group (P<0.001).
CONCLUSION: Overall results suggest that some children diagnosed with
developmental dyspraxia also exhibit executive function disorders. Ecological
tests seem more sensitive for identifying executive function disorders than
conventional tests.
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Langue : ANGLAIS ; FRANCAIS