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No AccessPerspectives on School-Based IssuesArticle1 Dec 2014

Assessment of Executive Functions in School-Aged Children: Challenges and Solutions for the SLP

    https://doi.org/10.1044/sbi15.4.151

    The assessment of executive function (EF) deficits in school-aged children has become an area of increased interest and need for speech-language pathologists (SLPs) working in educational settings. Various challenges exist that complicate the assessment of executive dysfunction (EDF) in students, among them the fact that EDF is present within a heterogeneous mix of developmental disorders. The resulting communication, behavioral, and academic problems addressed by the SLP, educators, and parents are frequently an interwoven mix of language disorders, social disorders, learning disorders, and/or mental health disorders—each of which is known to present with EDF. Furthermore, there is no one specific profile of EDF. The SLP must evaluate for each student's individual EF profile, while also taking into account foundations of language or social cognition. Questionnaires, informal observations, standardized rating scales, and standardized EF tests are available that can provide diagnostic insight for SLPs working with students who display EDF.

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