Executive Function in Early Childhood
| Status: | Recruiting |
|---|---|
| Conditions: | Cognitive Studies |
| Therapuetic Areas: | Psychiatry / Psychology |
| Healthy: | No |
| Age Range: | 4 - 9 |
| Updated: | 2/27/2019 |
| Start Date: | August 1, 2019 |
| End Date: | August 31, 2028 |
| Contact: | Julie Delheimer, BS |
| Email: | educationbrain@vanderbilt.edu |
| Phone: | 615-875-5534 |
Early Academic Achievement and Intervention Response: Role of Executive Function
Despite the fact that a substantial number of school age children struggle with both reading
and math acquisition, the brain mechanisms of the overlapping aspects of reading and math
skills, thought in part to be linked via executive functions (EF), have not been unpacked.
This project will use a longitudinal design, following children from Kindergarten through 1st
grade, to understand how the brain networks associated with reading, math, and EF interact to
predict academic outcomes and, in those who struggle academically, intervention response.
and math acquisition, the brain mechanisms of the overlapping aspects of reading and math
skills, thought in part to be linked via executive functions (EF), have not been unpacked.
This project will use a longitudinal design, following children from Kindergarten through 1st
grade, to understand how the brain networks associated with reading, math, and EF interact to
predict academic outcomes and, in those who struggle academically, intervention response.
This longitudinal study will be conducted with 260 Kindergartners, staggered across multiple
cohorts, who are followed through 1st grade. There will be three time points of testing for
each cohort: fall of Kindergarten, spring of Kindergarten, and in the fall of 1st grade.
After the third testing time point, in the fall of 1st grade, the bottom 1/3 of readers in
the sample will be selected to participate in the intervention arm of the study. These
students will be randomly placed in one of two arms: business-as-usual, in which children
receive no additional instruction; or the reading intervention condition, in which they
receive 20 hours of 1:1 reading intervention over 6 weeks. Children in both sub-sample arms
are assessed again after tutoring is complete, in the spring of 1st grade.
Neuroimaging through magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and functional magnetic resonance
imaging (fMRI) will occur as part of study participation in conjunction with testing at fall
of Kindergarten, fall of 1st grade, and spring of 1st grade time points.
cohorts, who are followed through 1st grade. There will be three time points of testing for
each cohort: fall of Kindergarten, spring of Kindergarten, and in the fall of 1st grade.
After the third testing time point, in the fall of 1st grade, the bottom 1/3 of readers in
the sample will be selected to participate in the intervention arm of the study. These
students will be randomly placed in one of two arms: business-as-usual, in which children
receive no additional instruction; or the reading intervention condition, in which they
receive 20 hours of 1:1 reading intervention over 6 weeks. Children in both sub-sample arms
are assessed again after tutoring is complete, in the spring of 1st grade.
Neuroimaging through magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and functional magnetic resonance
imaging (fMRI) will occur as part of study participation in conjunction with testing at fall
of Kindergarten, fall of 1st grade, and spring of 1st grade time points.
Inclusion Criteria:
1. Children in Kindergarten (approximate ages 4-9 years)
2. Native English speakers
Exclusion Criteria:
1. Children not in Kindergarten at time of enrollment;
2. previous diagnosis of Intellectual Disability;
3. known uncorrectable visual impairment;
4. documented hearing impairment greater than or equal to a 25 decibel (dB) loss;
5. medical contraindication to MRI procedures (e.g., metal devices) - excludes from MRI
procedures only;
6. known intelligence quotient (IQ) below 70;
7. a pervasive developmental disorder; and
8. any known neurologic pathology, including epilepsy, spina bifida, cerebral palsy,
traumatic brain injury, and brain tumors.
9. Comorbid severe psychiatric disorders will also be excluded, as will those who are
taking psychotropic medications, with the exception of stimulant medication for
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Children who meet criteria for ADHD
will be eligible as long as they are not taking psychotropic medications, with the
exception of stimulant medication for ADHD.
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