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The Impact of Executive Functions on the Written Language Process: Some Evidence From Children With Writing Disabilities

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 April 2015

Anastasia Alevriadou  and
Stergiani Giaouri
Anastasia Alevriadou*
Affiliation:
University of Western Macedonia, Florina, Greece
Stergiani Giaouri
Affiliation:
University of Western Macedonia, Florina, Greece
*
address for correspondence: Anastasia Alevriadou, University of Western Macedonia, 3rd klm Florinas-Nikis, Department of Early Childhood Education, Florina, Greece. Email: alevriadoua@gmail.com
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Abstract

Written language is a difficult endeavour as the demands of transcription require self-regulatory skills from a motor, cognitive and attention perspective. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the relation between the Test of Writing Difficulties (Porpodas et al., 2007) and the Test of Detection and Investigation of Executive Functions (Simos et al., 2007) in a sample of 50 Greek-speaking, 5th-grade students with writing disabilities. The results of our study indicated that there were significant Pearson correlations ranging from .35 to .44 between executive functions and written expression. Furthermore, regression analysis showed that the subscales of the Test of Executive Functions had significant predictive power for spelling correctness and correction of jumbled sentences. Further implications of these findings for a school-based neuropsychological evaluation and planning of individualised educational interventions are discussed.

Keywords

executive functionswritten language processlearning disabilities
Type
Articles
Information
Journal of Psychologists and Counsellors in Schools , Volume 25 , Special Issue 1: Psycho-Educational Assessment , June 2015 , pp. 24 - 37
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Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s) 2015 

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