DEVELOPMENT PROFILES OF EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONS IN PRESCHOOL AGE: OBSERVATIONAL STUDY IN GENERALIZED DEVELOPMENT DISORDER

Abstract

Executive functions (EF) play a fundamental role when it is necessary to implement behaviors aimed at achieving a goal; they are in fact widely studied and described in the literature, especially within neurodevelopment. Matura-tion of executive functions is described as a key component of typical as well as atypical development; their deficit is found in numerous neurodevelopmental and behavioral disorders. There are studies in literature that are intere-sted in the impairment of executive functions in Autism and Generalized Developmental Disorders (DGS). These disorders include a spectrum of clinical pictures characterized by social impairments, communicative impairments, restricted interests and stereotyped behaviors (Valeri, 2006), (APA - Amerian Psychiatric Association, 2013). However, none of these studies concerns the Italian pre-school population nor does it use assessment tools born in the Italian context; the studies in question also find confirmation above all in research conducted on adolescent and adult patients, while studies conducted with pre-school children provide conflicting results (Griffith, et al., 1999). Both in relation to these contradictory results and to the highly adaptive role of this domain for so-cio affective development, learning and quality of life, this study stands as a contribution to the research on exe-cutive function disorders on a sample of children with Generalized Developmental Disorder (DGS) in preschool age (3-6 years), with the aim of providing operational reflections for the best practice for functional assessment in the presence of this disorder, adding useful knowledge to Developmental Neuro and Psychomotor Therapist when drafting his own rehabilitation program. To meet the identified objectives, a sample with a diagnosis of Genera-lized Developmental Disorder (11 subjects) and a control sample, which did not present any neurodevelopmental disorder (39 subjects), were selected. The evaluation tool used is the Battery for the evaluation of executive func-tions in preschool age (FE-PS 2-6; Usai et al. 2017), intentionally selected among the tools developed in the Italian context and specific for the preschool age. The test results, taken from the Battery reference manual, were sub-jected to statistical analysis and subsequently to qualitative analysis, aimed at detecting further aspects of interest on the evolutionary profiles. 2 The research results show a difference in the average performance of the subjects belonging to the DGS group, which appear to be globally lower than those of the subjects belonging to the control group. Particular difficulties are found in all inhibition processes and are above all the characteristics of impulsi-vity and the management of interference. The greatest difficulty in children behavior therefore appears to be pre-sent in their ability to initiate a response and to inhibit actions in the service of general goals to be achieved. This difficulty appears as a dysfunctional characteristic in all the age groups covered by our study, as a constant cha-racteristic at all ages to be considered as a maladaptive functional profile.