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Two neurodevelopmental conditions, autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), have been associated with executive function (EF) impairments but the specificity of their impairments is still controversial. The present meta-analysis aimed to identify the differences in EF profiles of ASD, ADHD, and ASD+ADHD in relation to a control group of individuals with typical development (TD) and to understand whether the EF performance could change depending upon the type of measure used to assess EF (performance tests vs. questionnaires). Results from 36 eligible studies revealed that ADHD and ASD showed more difficulties than the TD group in tests and, particularly, in questionnaires. No significant differences in the EF profile emerged between ASD and ADHD when assessed through neuropsychological tests (d = 0.02), while significant differences emerged when assessed through questionnaires, with ADHD having higher ratings than ASD (d = −0.34). EF questionnaires and neuropsychological tests may catch two different constructs of EF, with the former being more predictive of everyday life EF impairments. The comparison between the double diagnosis group (ADHD+ASD) and the clinical groups pointed out that the former has a more similar EF profile to the ADHD-alone one and that it shows more difficulties than ASD-alone.

Purpose: This study aimed to describe speech sound development in a group of 18-month-old children with sex chromosome trisomies (SCTs), compared with a group of typically developing (TD) peers. Concurrent and longitudinal relationships between speech sound abilities and lexical development were examined. Method: A group of 76 children aged 18 months, 38 children prenatally diagnosed with SCTs (12 with XXY, 12 with XYY, and 14 with XXX) and 38 TD chil-dren, participated in the study. From video recordings of semistructured natural-istic parent–child play sessions, quantitative and qualitative measures of speech sound development were collected (e.g., the number of consonants, type and place of articulation, and syllable structures used), and group differences were observed. The relationships between the number of consonants produced and vocabulary size at 18 and 24 months were assessed. Results: At 18 months, children with SCTs used a significantly lower number of consonants than TD children. Qualitatively, children with SCTs used significantly fewer articulatory complex consonants (fricative/affricates) and a more restricted inventory of syllable structures. The number of consonants used was significantly correlated with lexical development at 18 months. Moreover, in the SCTs group (but not in the TD group), the children with lower speech sound development at 18 months showed a significantly smaller vocabulary growth between 18 and 24 months than those with higher speech-sound development. Conclusions: Toddlers with SCTs showed a significantly delayed speech sound development pattern rather than an atypical one. Children with SCTs with low speech sound development also showed lower vocabulary growth between 18 and 24 months of age. These results can be clinically relevant for follow-up and treatment planning for children with SCTs.

The Preschool Self-Regulation Questionnaire (Questionario di Valutazione dell'Autoregolazione [QUVA-p]) is a teacher-completed screening tool for assessing child dysregulation at preschool age. This study presents the psychometric properties of the questionnaire, which was investigated in a sample of 413 preschoolers. We tested for construct validity, measurement invariance across gender, subscale internal consistency, subscale convergent validity with executive control tasks (working memory, inhibitory control, and cognitive flexibility), and power to detect child differences in executive control. Results show that the factorial structure of the QUVA-p is in line with Nigg's theoretical model of self-regulation and the subscales have good reliability. Measurement invariance is maintained across gender; the instrument reveals small but significant associations with executive control tasks, and it could be useful to detect child differences in executive control.

Executive functions (EFs) and narrative competence (NC) are two important predictors of many outcomes in human development. To date, however, it is unclear whether these skills develop synergistically—supporting or opposing each other—or whether they are independent of each other. The purpose of this meta-analysis is to understand if these skills are related to over development and if the magnitude of their association changes over time; differs in typical and atypical development; and changes with EF (inhibition, working memory, flexibility, planning) and NC (oral, written; micro and macrostructural level). For this purpose, 30 studies containing 285 effect sizes were selected and combined. The results show that EFs and NC are weakly associated with each other (r = 0.236, p < 0.001) and that this association decreases with age (b(267) = −0.0144, p = 0.001). They are more associated in preschool and early elementary school grades, becoming more independent after seven years old. Between 3 and 7 years of age, the association seems stronger in atypically developing children and for macrostructural NC. Additionally, before 7 years old, the various EF domains seem to associate indistinctly with NC, and only later specific links between EFs and NC would be observed.

Purpose: This study aimed to describe speech sound development in a group of 18-month-old children with sex chromosome trisomies (SCTs), compared with a group of typically developing (TD) peers. Concurrent and longitudinal relationships between speech sound abilities and lexical development were examined. Method: A group of 76 children aged 18 months, 38 children prenatally diagnosed with SCTs (12 with XXY, 12 with XYY, and 14 with XXX) and 38 TD chil-dren, participated in the study. From video recordings of semistructured natural-istic parent–child play sessions, quantitative and qualitative measures of speech sound development were collected (e.g., the number of consonants, type and place of articulation, and syllable structures used), and group differences were observed. The relationships between the number of consonants produced and vocabulary size at 18 and 24 months were assessed. Results: At 18 months, children with SCTs used a significantly lower number of consonants than TD children. Qualitatively, children with SCTs used significantly fewer articulatory complex consonants (fricative/affricates) and a more restricted inventory of syllable structures. The number of consonants used was significantly correlated with lexical development at 18 months. Moreover, in the SCTs group (but not in the TD group), the children with lower speech sound development at 18 months showed a significantly smaller vocabulary growth between 18 and 24 months than those with higher speech-sound development. Conclusions: Toddlers with SCTs showed a significantly delayed speech sound development pattern rather than an atypical one. Children with SCTs with low speech sound development also showed lower vocabulary growth between 18 and 24 months of age. These results can be clinically relevant for follow-up and treatment planning for children with SCTs.

Le funzioni esecutive (FE) e le competenze narrative (CN) sono due abilità fondamentali nello sviluppo umano. Entrambe sono state ampiamente studiate, ma la ricerca sulla loro relazione è ancora scarsa. La tesi presenta tre studi condotti con l'obiettivo di approfondire la conoscenza della relazione tra CN ed FE in bambini italiani in età prescolare. Il primo capitolo presenta una meta-analisi sull'associazione tra queste dimensioni nell'infanzia e nell'adolescenza. I risultati hanno mostrato che la forza di questa associazione cambia nel tempo e tra i diversi tipi di narrazione e di funzione esecutiva. La prima infanzia risulta essere il periodo della vita in cui FE e CN sono maggiormente associate. In seguito alla recente evidenza che la valutazione narrativa può rivelarsi utile per valutare le FE nella popolazione adulta (Cannizzaro & Coelho, 2013), il secondo capitolo si propone di analizzare quali indici di performance narrativa potrebbero essere utili per valutare le FE nei bambini in maniera ecologica. Le performance narrative sono state ampiamente studiate in un campione di 39 bambini in età prescolare e la relazione con i compiti delle FE è stata analizzata tenendo conto di possibili variabili confondenti. I risultati hanno mostrato che le anticipazioni e l'uso anaforico degli articoli all'interno delle narrazioni orali potrebbero essere utili come misura ecologica rispettivamente della memoria di lavoro e del controllo dell'interferenza di un bambino. Infine, il terzo capitolo presenta uno studio sulle differenze tra bambini e adulti nella coesione referenziale, la capacità di adattare le espressioni referenziali per riferirsi ai personaggi nel corso della narrazione in base alla funzione del discorso (introduzione, mantenimento, reintroduzione di personaggi). Sono stati poi studiati i meccanismi cognitivi alla base delle scelte referenziali dei bambini che divergono da quelle degli adulti. I risultati hanno mostrato il ruolo fondamentale dei proces, Executive function (EF) and narrative competence (NC) are two fundamental skills in human life. Both dimensions have been extensively investigated, but research on their relationship is still scarce. The dissertation presents three studies conducted within this PhD project, aiming to deepen the knowledge of the relationship between NC and EF in Italian preschoolers. The first chapter presents a meta-analysis on the association between these dimensions across childhood and adolescence. Results showed that the strength of this association changes over time and across different types of narrative and executive competence. Early childhood resulted in the period of life where EF and NC are more associated. Following recent evidence that narrative assessment may serve to address EF in the adult population (Cannizzaro & Coelho, 2013), the second chapter aims to analyze which indices of narrative performance could be useful to address EF in children. Narrative performances were extensively investigated in a sample of 39 preschoolers, and the relation with EF tasks was analyzed taking into consideration possible confounding variables. Results showed that anticipations and anaphoric use of articles within oral narratives might be useful as an ecological measure of a child’s working memory and interference control, respectively. Finally, the third chapter presents a study on the differences between children and adults in referential cohesion, the ability to adjust referential forms by discourse function (introduction, maintenance, re-introduction of characters) when referring to more or less accessible character entities in a narrative context. Then, cognitive mechanisms underlying children’s referential choices that diverged from adults were investigated. Results showed the fundamental role of interference control processes in referential choices made by children.

Motor abnormalities are highly prevalent in children with autism spectrum disorder and are strongly predictive of adaptive functioning. Despite the documented sex bias in the prevalence of the disorder, the impact of sex differences on motor abnormalities has been overlooked. The goal of this study was to investigate differences in the motor profile of boys and girls with autism spectrum disorder aged 3–11 years using a multimethod approach. Ninety-eight children with autism spectrum disorder and 98 typically developing children were assessed using the Movement Assessment Battery for Children 2, the Developmental Coordination Disorder Questionnaire, and the kinematic analysis of a reach-to-drop task. Results from principal components analysis on reach-to-drop-dependent measures indicated four components, accounting for kinematic parameters of the motor task. Irrespective of sex, children with autism spectrum disorder showed worse scores on Movement Assessment Battery for Children 2 and Developmental Coordination Disorder Questionnaire subscales than typically developing children. Interestingly, a diagnosis-by-sex interaction was found on a kinematic feature measured in the last part of the movement, with girls with autism spectrum disorder presenting altered motor anticipation. Although preliminary, these findings suggested that sex-related nuances in motor functioning of children with autism spectrum disorder could be insufficiently captured by existing motor measures. Lay abstract: Motor peculiarities are often reported in children with autism spectrum disorder and may predict subsequent adaptive functioning and quality of life. Although the sex bias in the prevalence of the disorder is well documented, little is known about differences in motor profile in males and females with autism spectrum disorder. Our goal was to study differences in motor functioning of boys and girls with autism spectrum disorder aged 3–11 years compared with typically developing children

The study analyses the dimensionality of executive functions (EF) and its relationship with behavior in typically developing 3- and 4-year-old children. In study 1, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to investigate the validity of a one-factor model in 117 preschoolers. Since this model was not confirmed, a two-factor model was identified through exploratory factor analysis. In study 2, the validity of the new two-factor versus one-factor model was tested on a new sample of 128 children through a series of CFAs. The relationship between the models and specific behavioral aspects of the children was investigated. The results suggest that a bidimensional structure showed a better fit to the data and more ecological validity than a unitary structure.

A workshop on the role of Executive Functions (EF) in the development of Narrative Competence (NC). EF and NC, taken singly, are two over-investigated domains. However, our knowledge about if and how they related to each other across development is limited. In this intervention I summarized the state of art on this argument, presenting the results of a meta-analysis we have conducted. Implications for clinical and educational practice are discussed. I also provided guidelines for future research on this topic.

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationships between self-esteem, school well-being and academic achievement in a sample of 8 to 13 year-old-students, taking into account the student, parent and teacher’s point of view. This study has confirmed the existance of a reciprocal influence between the child’s educational achievement and his/her school self-esteem. According to the findings of this investigation, the main factors related with academic self-esteem are the anxiety level, the learning skills and school well-being. The learning skills and school well-being are also significantly related with academic achievement, on the contrary anxiety is a mediator of these relationships. This research may be useful for the development of programs and strategies to promote child’s well-being, self-esteem and success at school having parent’s and teacher’s involvement.

The QUVA-p is a screening tool for identifying preschoolers with self-regulation difficulties. In the present study, preliminary normative age-related data (3, 4, 5 years) are provided separately for males and females and the relationship between self-regulation difficulties and adaptation is analyzed. The questionnaire is preschool teacher-completed, easy and quick to fill-out, and showed good psychometric properties. It can be valuable for the clinician in the early stage of the assessment to detect self-regulation problems potentially predicting Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD).

In the original article, there was an error because we wrongly coded four studies (Gade et al., 2017) as including a computerized training, which was not correct. In the Abstract, we stated that the condition computerized vs. non-computerized versions of the training was significant, but this was not the case. Moreover, in Table 1, we deleted “computerized” in the four studies published by Gade et al. (2017) and on Table 3, we corrected the values related to “computerized vs. non-computerized trainings”. Supplementary Data Sheet 2 has been corrected and updated. Corrections have also been made to Table 1, Table 3, as well as the following paragraphs indicated below.

In the present meta-analysis, we examined the effect of cognitive training on the Executive Functions (EFs) of preschool children (age range: 3–6 years). We selected a final set of 32 studies from 27 papers with a total sample of 123 effect sizes. We found an overall effect of cognitive training for improving EF (g = 0.352; k = 123; p < 0.001), without significant difference between near and far transfer effects on executive domains. No significant additional outcome effects were found for behavioral- and learning-related outcomes. Cognitive training programs for preschoolers are significantly more effective for developmentally at-risk children (ADHD or low socio-economic status) than for children with typical development and without risks. Other significant moderators were: computerized vs. non-computerized training, individual vs. group sessions, and length of training. The number of sessions was not a significant moderator. This is the first demonstration of cognitive training for transfer effects among different executive processes. We discuss this result in relationship to the lower level of modularization of EFs in younger children. Protocol Registration: PROSPERO (CRD42019124127). Available online at: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD42019124127.

In the original article, there was an error because we wrongly coded four studies (Gade et al., 2017) as including a computerized training, which was not correct. In the Abstract, we stated that the condition computerized vs. non-computerized versions of the training was significant, but this was not the case. Moreover, in Table 1, we deleted “computerized” in the four studies published by Gade et al. (2017) and on Table 3, we corrected the values related to “computerized vs. non-computerized trainings”. Supplementary Data Sheet 2 has been corrected and updated. Corrections have also been made to Table 1, Table 3, as well as the following paragraphs indicated below.