Executive function in children with signs of specific learning disorders.
Each SLD flavor has its own EF weakness—train working memory for comprehension deficits and interference control for decoding deficits.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Ceruti et al. (2025) looked at executive function (EF) in elementary kids who show signs of specific learning disorders. They split the children into four groups: weak decoding, weak reading comprehension, weak spelling, and weak math calculation. Each child took lab EF tests while parents and teachers filled out EF rating forms.
What they found
The three groups with decoding, comprehension, or math deficits each showed their own EF fingerprint. Only the spelling-weak group had no clear EF pattern. Working memory was especially low in the comprehension-weak kids. Children with decoding trouble had more trouble blocking out distracting information.
How this fits with other research
Capodieci et al. (2023) also found EF deficits in kids with SLD, but they used web tasks and lumped all SLD together. Claudia's lab tests now show the deficits change by subtype, so the earlier picture was too broad.
Feng et al. (2025) tied Chinese-reading problems in ADHD to visuospatial working memory and inhibition. Claudia's English-speaking SLD kids point to similar domains, but the link is tighter to comprehension (working memory) and decoding (interference control) rather than to ADHD symptoms.
Danielsson et al. (2012) saw a mixed EF map in intellectual disability: some skills age-appropriate, others weak. Claudia's SLD map is clearer—each academic deficit carries a predictable EF weakness, making target selection easier for teachers.
Why it matters
You no longer have to run a generic EF package for every child with a learning disorder. Screen working memory first if reading comprehension is the worry. Check interference control if decoding is slow. Match the EF training to the academic pain point and you should see faster skill gains.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
This study aimed to compare the executive functions (EFs) of children with decoding, reading comprehension, spelling, and calculation deficits to those of typically developing (TD) children, to delineate specific EF profiles for each group. From an initial sample of 932 children, aged 7-13 years, 93 children with deficits in learning tasks that resemble those of Specific Learning Disorders (signs of Specific Learning Disorders, sSLD) and 28 TD children were studied. EFs were assessed through both performance-based tests and questionnaires completed by parents and teachers, on which ANOVAs, correlation analyses and factorial analyses were performed. The results revealed distinct cognitive and behavioral EF profiles for the sSLD groups. Children with decoding deficits exhibited difficulties in interference control, but faster responses in cognitive flexibility tasks, alongside broader challenges in cognitive self-regulation, organization and initiative. Those with reading comprehension deficits showed significant impairments in working memory (WM) and planning related skills, with no behavioral impact. Children with calculation deficits mainly displayed poor WM and interference control skills, with parents and teachers reporting difficulties in cognitive self-regulation and control, organization, initiative and material management. Finally, the results on the spelling deficits group did not permit to define a specific cognitive and behavioral profile. The findings contribute to define the functional variability of children with learning deficits, underscoring the importance of addressing the specific EF profile and its impact on both academic tasks and daily organization.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2025 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2025.105069