kirby, a., thomas, m. & williams, n
DESCRIPTION
Executive Functioning Skills Deficits in university students with Developmental Co-ordination Disorder ( DCD ) . Kirby, A., Thomas, M. & Williams, N. Background to the study What is Executive Function (EF)? EF in relation to DCD. What is Executive Function (EF)?. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
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Executive Functioning Skills Deficits in university students
with Developmental Co-ordination Disorder (DCD)
Kirby, A., Thomas, M. & Williams, N.
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Background to the study
• What is Executive Function (EF)?
• EF in relation to DCD
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What is Executive Function (EF)?
• Term used to describe a complex cognitive construct which allows us to act as efficiently as possible.• Components include:
o Planning o Problem-solvingo Working memoryo Sustained attentiono Impulse controlo Decision-making
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EF processes can be split into actions that require:
• conscious control (e.g. learning a new skill)• those that are automatic (e.g. memory recall) –or
• a combination of both (e.g. riding a bicycle).
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Executive Function (EF)EF processes are associated with the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and other areas….
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EF is not a unitary conceptDifferent constructs have been made each
with adifferent focus (Alloway, 2007; Gathercole
et al.2008).
Different approaches to assessment of EF –Brown review (2009). He suggests clinical interviews and rating scales may be valid assessments.
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Impact of Executive Function Deficits
Impairments or deficits in the system will impact greatly on a person’s ability to conduct day to day tasks and maintain social relationships (Goel et al., 1997; Green et al., 2000).
EF is a predictor of future social competence (Nigg et al,1999; Clark et al., 2002).
ADHD and poor EF- affect academic achievement (Biederman et al., 2004).
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EFDs have been identified in a number of Developmental
Disorders• ADHD (Barkley, 1997; Biederman et al., 2007; Brown, 2009; Parker & Boutelle, 2009)
• ASD (Verté et al., 2005)
• Dyslexia (Reiter et al., 2005; Gooch et al., 2011)
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EF & DCD• Alloway (2007), Alloway & Temple (2007) –
significant deficits in working memory in children with DCD.
• Kirby et al. (2008) – self reported executive functioning deficits in students with DCD (and to a greater extent than those with dyslexia).
• Kirby et al. (2011) – a high proportion of parents of emerging adults with DCD report problems with organisation, time & money management.
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1) Students arrive with/without diagnosis of
DCD or an inaccurate diagnosis e.g. Dyslexia.
However, support is often variable and determined by a “label” (Kirby et al., 2008).
2) DCD is a heterogeneous condition.
Severity is on a continuum and will vary.
3) To understand support needs in relationship to EF it is useful to map out the profile of symptoms and signs.
Rationale for the exploratory study
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Study Aims1. To investigate and compare patterns of self reported executive function skills in:
a) students with DCD. b) students who do not have a diagnosis but
reported difficulties. c) TD students.
2. Develop a functional tool to be used to assist planning and delivery of support.
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Method• Developed a 77-item questionnaire including
different aspects of EF in the context of university, home and work life.
• Paper and electronic version of questionnaire.
• Each item scored on a 5 point Likert scaleranging from “Not at all like me” to “Very much like me”.
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6 componentsPlanning - “I always write essay plans before starting an
assignment”Organisation - “I am good at organising lecture notes”Inhibition/impulse control - “I am easily distracted by other
people or noise around me when writing assignments” Working memory - “When writing an assignment I often
lose my flow of thought”Metacognition - “I find it hard to use feedback/ comments from previous assignments to improve
work”Time management - “I am good at estimating how long it
will take to complete different assignments”
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Recruitment Students currently attending university
The study was advertisedo Posters/bulletins around the universities/
student services o Social networking siteso The Dyscovery Centre website and databaseo DANDA members
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DataGender No Diagnosis
(TD)DCD No diagnosis
but difficulties
Total
Male 122 12 12 146
Female 81 19 42 142
Total 205 31 54 290
Age range 18-64 years.
Mean 26.78 (9.51) years
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Approach to analysis• TD group scores for each of the 6 components of EF
were used as the comparison group.
Examined how many of:a) the DCD groupb) “no diagnosis but difficulties group”
fell below the cut offs for the bottom 15th, 10th and 5th percentile based on the TD group.
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Planning
Organisa
tion
Inhibition/Impulse
Control
Working Memory
Metaco
gnition
Time M
anagement
0102030405060708090
100
15% or below10% or below5% or below
%
Number of students with DCD who fell into the lower percentile cut off ranges based on the
typically developing scores
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No diagnosis but difficulties – a sub threshold group?
Planning
Organisa
tion
Inhibition/Impulse
Control
Working Memory
Metaco
gnition
Time M
anagem
ent0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
15% or below10% or below5% or below
%
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Conclusions
1. Significant self-reported EF difficulties in those with DCD
2. ALSO those who do not have a diagnosis BUT say they have difficulties DO have greater EF difficulties than TD’s.
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Conclusions• Sub-threshold students at
risk of failure and not being able to access same supports – due to not having a diagnosis.
• Differential support system-with a bias for those with Dyslexia (Kirby et al., 2008)
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Implications for universities support services
• Screening/check list could oDelineate patterns where support
could be offeredoProvide tailored supporto Identify the sub threshold student
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Future work
• Further development of questionnaireo Refine questionnaireo Collect more datao Validate against other measures
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Executive Functioning Skills Deficits in university students with Developmental Co-ordination Disorder (DCD)
Natalie Williams
For further information please contact:
Email: dyscoverycentre @newport.ac.uk
Tel: 01633 432330