Abstract

The goal of this review is to perform a critical analysis of the instruments used to assess executive functions (EFs) in preschool and school-age children in Brazil. We identified 37 assessment measures through a systematic review. Some performance-based tests for assessing working memory and inhibition were identified. However, there is a lack of rating measures and instruments to assess flexibility and planning in clinical practice. We observed regional differences in the performance of EFs measures. One possible explanation may be the use of normative samples from more highly-developed regions to characterize performance in less-developed regions. However, there may be alternative explanations, such as variations in the exposure to testing and the adequacy of test materials in different regions. Joint efforts among research groups should be encouraged in order to obtain normative references that are more representative of the socio-cultural diversity of the country. This improvement is essential to better understand the typical and atypical development of EFs and how the peculiarities of each country’s context and culture can impact its trajectory.

摘要

本综述的目的是对用于评估巴西学龄前和学龄儿童执行功能 (EF) 的工具进行批判性分析。我们通过系统审查确定了 37 项评估措施。确定了一些用于评估工作记忆和抑制的基于性能的测试。然而，缺乏评估临床实践灵活性和规划的评级措施和工具。我们观察到 EFs 措施表现的区域差异。一种可能的解释可能是使用来自较发达地区的规范样本来表征欠发达地区的表现。但是，可能有其他解释，例如测试暴露的差异以及不同地区测试材料的充分性。应鼓励研究小组之间的共同努力，以获得更能代表该国社会文化多样性的规范性参考。这种改进对于更好地了解 EF 的典型和非典型发展以及每个国家的背景和文化的特殊性如何影响其发展轨迹至关重要。