A Randomized Clinical Trial Comparing Executive Function and Language Skills Training on School Readiness in Preschool Children

University of Sao Paulo

Status: Completed

Conditions: Preschool Child; Language; Executive Function

Treatments: Behavioral: Executive functions training; Other: Regular school curriculum; Behavioral: Language skills training

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT02807831

2012/51.624-1

Details and patient eligibility

About

Background: environmental influences in the first years of life have a great impact on adulthood. Adequate environmental stimulation in the first years of life positively influence cognitive, emotional and neurological development. Studies show that high quality education for 3 to 6 years old children are cost-effective for diverse outcomes, such as socioemotional and cognitive development, as well as school performance. However, it is not clear why specific types of interventions are most effective on school readiness, an important precursor of literacy status and later life outcomes. Objectives: adapt to the Brazilian context two well-known intervention programs: (1) executive functions training developed by Diamond, and (2) oral language skills based on the Nuffield Programme developed by Snowling and colleagues. Methods: a randomized controlled trial involving 720 children (4 to 5 years old) allocated to three groups: (1) adapted school curriculum focusing on executive functions training, (2) adapted school curriculum focusing on oral language skills training, and (3) regular school curriculum.

Enrollment: 582 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 3 to 6 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Schools interested in the intervention program
• Preschool children (4 to 6 years old)

Exclusion criteria

• Presence of any sensory impairment
• Intellectual disability

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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582 participants in 3 patient groups

Executive functions training

Experimental group

Treatment:

Behavioral: Executive functions training

Language skills training

Experimental group

Treatment:

Behavioral: Language skills training

Regular school curriculum

Active Comparator group

Treatment:

Other: Regular school curriculum