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Children
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Cognitive and Linguistic Development in Children and Adolescents
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Cognitive and Linguistic Development in Children and Adolescents

A special issue of Children (ISSN 2227-9067). This special issue belongs to the section "Child Neurology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 5 July 2024 | Viewed by 22305

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Irene Cadime

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Psychology Research Center, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal
Interests: language development; reading and writing; psychometrics; reading disabilities; executive functioning.
Dr. Iolanda Ribeiro

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Psychology Research Center, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal
Interests: reading and writing; emergent literacy; psychological assessment; web-based interventions
Dr. Maria Luisa Lorusso

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Unit of Neuropsychology of Developmental Disorders, Scientific Institute IRCCS E. Medea, Bosisio Parini, Italy
Interests: language disorders; reading disorders; psychometrics; E-health; intervention
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to invite you to contribute to this Special Issue of Children which is focused on the cognitive and linguistic development of children and adolescents. Cognitive development entails all mental processes involved in acquiring, organizing, and using knowledge. Since the seminal work of Piaget, the research concerning cognitive development, the factors that influence it, and its importance in other areas of development have grown substantially. Its relationship with linguistic development has attracted particular interest: it is well established that language builds on cognitive development, but language is also a vehicle that supports it. Therefore, research has frequently pointed out deficits in skills such as memory, executive functions, reasoning, or problem solving in children with linguistic deficits and/or with reading/writing disabilities.

This Special Issue aims to present recent contributions to a more complete understanding of typical and atypical cognitive development, linguistic development (oral or written), and/or the relationship between these. Historically, the focus of cognitive and linguistic development has been placed on childhood, but this development continues in later stages of the life cycle. Thus, this Special Issue will include research conducted with children at various stages of development and/or adolescents, as well as longitudinal studies.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following topics, addressing both typical and atypical conditions or trajectories:

  • Oral language development;
  • Cognitive development;
  • Reading and writing development;
  • Specific language impairment;
  • Reading and/or writing disabilities;
  • Executive functioning;
  • Memory;
  • Reasoning and problem solving;
  • The intervention/promotion of cognitive or linguistic skills (oral or written).

We look forward to receiving your contributions. 

Dr. Irene Cadime
Dr. Iolanda Ribeiro
Dr. Maria Luisa Lorusso
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Children is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • oral language
  • reading
  • writing
  • cognitive development
  • neurodevelopmental disorders
  • learning disabilities

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 322 KiB  
Article
Executive Functioning and Language in a Pediatric Population with Autism Spectrum Disorders and Epilepsy: A Comparative Study
by Alejandro Cano-Villagrasa, Nadia Porcar-Gozalbo, Isabel López-Chicheri and Miguel López-Zamora
Children 2024, 11(3), 306; https://doi.org/10.3390/children11030306 - 05 Mar 2024
Viewed by 723
Abstract
In recent years, there has been an increase in the prevalence of comorbidity between ASD and epilepsy in the pediatric population. Children with ASD and epilepsy often exhibit greater impairments in executive functions such as cognitive flexibility, planning, inhibition, and emotional control, as [...] Read more.
In recent years, there has been an increase in the prevalence of comorbidity between ASD and epilepsy in the pediatric population. Children with ASD and epilepsy often exhibit greater impairments in executive functions such as cognitive flexibility, planning, inhibition, and emotional control, as well as in language dimensions such as phonology, semantics, morphosyntax, and pragmatics. These impairments can significantly impact their maturation and development. The aim of this study was to assess and compare the executive functioning and language skills of 150 participants, divided into three groups: one with ASD only, another with epilepsy only, and the third group with both ASD and epilepsy. The study utilized the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF-2) and Neuropsychological Evaluation of Executive Functions in Children (ENFEN) to assess executive functions, and Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals 5 (CELF-5) to evaluate language skills. The results indicated that participants with this comorbidity had lower scores in both executive functioning and language skills compared to children with only ASD or epilepsy. The presence of epilepsy significantly limits the executive and linguistic performance of children with ASD, negatively affecting language acquisition, functionality, and the ability to carry out basic life activities independently. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cognitive and Linguistic Development in Children and Adolescents)
18 pages, 1385 KiB  
Article
Innovative Family-Based Genetically Informed Series of Analyses of Whole-Exome Data Supports Likely Inheritance for Grammar in Children with Specific Language Impairment
by Erin M. Andres, Kathleen Kelsey Earnest, Hao Xuan, Cuncong Zhong, Mabel L. Rice and Muhammad Hashim Raza
Children 2023, 10(7), 1119; https://doi.org/10.3390/children10071119 - 28 Jun 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1117
Abstract
Individuals with specific language impairment (SLI) struggle with language acquisition despite average non-verbal intelligence and otherwise typical development. One SLI account focuses on grammar acquisition delay. The current study aimed to detect novel rare genetic variants associated with performance on a grammar assessment, [...] Read more.
Individuals with specific language impairment (SLI) struggle with language acquisition despite average non-verbal intelligence and otherwise typical development. One SLI account focuses on grammar acquisition delay. The current study aimed to detect novel rare genetic variants associated with performance on a grammar assessment, the Test of Early Grammatical Impairment (TEGI), in English-speaking children. The TEGI was selected due to its sensitivity and specificity, consistently high heritability estimates, and its absence from all but one molecular genetic study. We performed whole exome sequencing (WES) in eight families with SLI (n = 74 total) and follow-up Sanger sequencing in additional unrelated probands (n = 146). We prioritized rare exonic variants shared by individuals with low TEGI performance (n = 34) from at least two families under two filtering workflows: (1) novel and (2) previously reported candidate genes. Candidate variants were observed on six new genes (PDHA2, PCDHB3, FURIN, NOL6, IQGAP3, and BAHCC1), and two genes previously reported for overall language ability (GLI3 and FLNB). We specifically suggest PCDHB3, a protocadherin gene, and NOL6 are critical for ribosome synthesis, as they are important targets of SLI investigation. The proposed SLI candidate genes associated with TEGI performance emphasize the utility of precise phenotyping and family-based genetic study. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cognitive and Linguistic Development in Children and Adolescents)
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18 pages, 943 KiB  
Article
Development of a Group Emergent Literacy Screening Tool
by Joana Cruz, Sofia Mendes, Sofia Marques, Diana Alves and Irene Cadime
Children 2023, 10(2), 306; https://doi.org/10.3390/children10020306 - 06 Feb 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2272
Abstract
It is important to identify children who are struggling with emergent literacy skills as early as possible to provide them with the support they need to prevent future academic failure. Screening tools administered in groups are more cost-effective than those administered individually, but [...] Read more.
It is important to identify children who are struggling with emergent literacy skills as early as possible to provide them with the support they need to prevent future academic failure. Screening tools administered in groups are more cost-effective than those administered individually, but few are available in Portugal. The goal of this study was to explore the psychometric properties (difficulty, reliability, and validity) of a group emergent literacy screening test for Portuguese-speaking children. The test includes two phonological awareness tasks, one vocabulary task, and one concepts of print task. The sample comprised 1379 children from pre-K (n = 314), kindergarten (n = 579), and first grade of primary education (n = 486). Measures of emergent literacy, reading and writing skills, and academic achievement were used to test the validity of the screening test. The Rasch model results suggest that the tasks were suitably difficult for the kindergarten group, but had varying levels of difficulty for pre-K and first grade. Reliability was adequate for the tasks with an appropriate level of difficulty. Scores for the screening test were highly correlated with measures of literacy and with academic achievement. These findings suggest that the presented emergent literacy screening test is valid and reliable, making it a useful tool for practice and research. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cognitive and Linguistic Development in Children and Adolescents)
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13 pages, 463 KiB  
Article
Parent Perspectives of Ear Health and the Relationship with Children’s Speech and Language in the Longitudinal Study of Indigenous Children
by Anita Morrow, Neil Orr, Kai Nash, Harvey Coates, Cara Cross, John Robert Evans, Hasantha Gunasekera, Samantha Harkus, Linda Harrison, Sharynne McLeod, Catherine McMahon, Katie Neal, Andrea Salins and Rona Macniven
Children 2023, 10(1), 165; https://doi.org/10.3390/children10010165 - 14 Jan 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2269
Abstract
Health and well-being are holistic concepts that are perceived to be inseparable for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. We examined relationships between parent-reported ear symptoms for 787 Indigenous children at two time points (age 2–3 years, age 4–5 years) and two parent-reported [...] Read more.
Health and well-being are holistic concepts that are perceived to be inseparable for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. We examined relationships between parent-reported ear symptoms for 787 Indigenous children at two time points (age 2–3 years, age 4–5 years) and two parent-reported speech and language outcomes one year later (age 5–6 years). Most parents (80.2%) reported no concern about their child’s expressive language and (93.8%) receptive language. Binary logistic regression models examined ear health as a predictor of children’s expressive and receptive speech and language adjusting for sociodemographic and health covariates. For children without parent-reported ear symptoms, there were lower odds of parental concern about expressive speech and language (aOR = 0.45; 95% CI 0.21–0.99) and receptive language (aOR = 0.24; 95% CI 0.09–0.62). Parents were less likely to have concerns about the child’s expressive speech and language if their child was female, lived in urban or regional areas, had excellent or very good global health, or had no disability when aged 2–5 years. Since parent-reported ear health and speech and language concerns were related, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children could benefit from culturally safe, strength-based, and family-centered integrated speech, language, and ear health services. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cognitive and Linguistic Development in Children and Adolescents)
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13 pages, 1805 KiB  
Article
Challenges and Neuropsychological Functioning in Children and Adolescents with Borderline Intellectual Functioning
by Heli Sätilä, Laura Mirjami Jolma, Mira Meriläinen-Nipuli and Mikko Koivu-Jolma
Children 2022, 9(12), 1847; https://doi.org/10.3390/children9121847 - 28 Nov 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2491
Abstract
This retrospective chart review study sought to explore neuropsychological profiles, neuropsychiatric and psychiatric comorbidity, changes in diagnoses, support at daycare and school, medication use, psychiatric referrals, and progression into further education in a cohort of participants with borderline intellectual functioning (BIF). Additionally, developmental [...] Read more.
This retrospective chart review study sought to explore neuropsychological profiles, neuropsychiatric and psychiatric comorbidity, changes in diagnoses, support at daycare and school, medication use, psychiatric referrals, and progression into further education in a cohort of participants with borderline intellectual functioning (BIF). Additionally, developmental factors connected to BIF were studied. Delays in language and gross motor development were the initial reasons for the parents to seek health care. Comorbid neuropsychiatric and psychiatric diagnoses were frequent, a total of 41% of participants were referred to psychiatric services, and 45% used medication. Educational support was needed by 92% of the study participants. The majority of those graduating elementary school continued their studies at ordinary or special vocational schools. The risk of dropping out during secondary studies appeared to increase. The results in most of the neuropsychological subdomains declined over time, and 23% of the participants were later diagnosed with an intellectual disability (ID). The early developmental signs pointing towards BIF and the need for prompt support were a delay in language and motor development, difficulties in executive function, a delay in learning the activities of daily living among children under school age, and difficulties in reading and arithmetic skills and abstract reasoning at school age. It is important to follow up and support individuals with BIF as their risk for being left behind in the society is increased. Also, it would be important to repeat the neuropsychological testing of cognitive and adaptive functions before graduating elementary school as to capture those who meet the ID criteria. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cognitive and Linguistic Development in Children and Adolescents)
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13 pages, 489 KiB  
Article
Screen Time of Preschool-Aged Children and Their Mothers, and Children’s Language Development
by Riikka Mustonen, Ritva Torppa and Suvi Stolt
Children 2022, 9(10), 1577; https://doi.org/10.3390/children9101577 - 18 Oct 2022
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 12148
Abstract
Although children’s increased screen time has been found to associate with poorer language development, it is open to question which part of language ability screen time specifically associates with. Our aim was to examine the association between children’s screen time (alone and together [...] Read more.
Although children’s increased screen time has been found to associate with poorer language development, it is open to question which part of language ability screen time specifically associates with. Our aim was to examine the association between children’s screen time (alone and together with a parent), mothers’ screen time, and the different domains of children’s language skills. Mothers reported their children’s (N = 164, aged 2.5 to 4.1 years) screen time and their own on a weekday and a day off. Children’s lexical, phonological, morphological, receptive, and general language abilities were measured using validated tests. The connections between children’s and mothers’ screen time and children’s language skills were analyzed using correlation analyses and linear regression models. The more the children used screen time alone, or the greater the amount of the mothers’ screen time, the weaker the children’s lexical and general language abilities when the children’s age, maternal education level, and birth order were controlled for. We also found cumulative, negative links to the children’s lexical and general language abilities when the amount of their screen time alone and the amount of the mothers’ screen time were simultaneously included in the regression model. The results suggest that it is important to restrict both children’s screen time spent alone and mothers’ screen time. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cognitive and Linguistic Development in Children and Adolescents)
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