Intervenção em funções executivas em alunos dos três anos iniciais do ensino fundamental e sua relação com desempenho cognitivo e perfil comportamental

Abstract

The main skills related to Executive Functions (EF) are working memory, inhibitory control, cognitive flexibility and self-regulation. Changes in EF are present in several neurodevelopmental disorders and associated with academic success and professional achievement. The main purpose of the study is to verify the effects of an intervention program in EF, self-regulation and cognitive performance, on the behavioral profile (problems and competences), related for parents and teachers. The specific purposes were: to implement an intervention program in EF, performed by the teacher in the classroom; to investigate the relation between EF, behavioral profiles and social competences; to investigate whether an intervention program for the promotion of EF, conducted by teachers, is effective in producing gains in performance, in executive measures and in the patterns of behavioral functioning and, also, for understanding the effects of the intervention throughout the initial school grades. A total of 149 children, 6 and 9 years old, boys and girls, enrolled between 1st and 3rd year of Elementary School I of a school in the central region of São Paulo, as well as their parents or guardians and classroom teachers participated. The sample was divided into two groups: Experimental Group (EG) that took part in the Intervention Program and Control Group (CG), which continued with regular activities, without specific interventions. The instruments for data collection were Trial Making Test; TAC; WISC-IV (IMO) Operating Memory index, IFERA-I; CBCL; TRF and a Form for the evaluation of demographic and socioeconomic data of the family. The Program of Intervention in Self-Regulation and EF (PIAFEx) was used in the intervention. Different analyses were conducted. First, the variance of the school-level effect was conducted in the performance tests of EF. Then, Pearson's correlation analysis between EF performance evaluations were made, to verify possible relationships between different cognitive domains and between performances in EF measures and assessments of children's behavior, as reported by parents/teachers. Student t tests were used to check the differences between pre and post intervention situations. Significant effects were observed in the increase of the cognitive performance and reduction of EF difficulties and behavior problems for the EG in relation to the CG. Significant negative correlations were observed between the reporting of difficulties in EF and performance in attention, EF and MO tests. Significant negative correlations were observed between the reporting difficulties in FE and performance in tests for attention, EF and WM. Positive indicators were obtained in relation to the implementation of the program, since teachers started to report more easily in conducting classroom activities through proactive behaviors of planning, organization, autonomy, and discipline. The intervention promoted development of EF skills and reduction of indicators of behavioral and emotional difficulties. These effects were different in relation to the school years, especially in the initial years, for example, in the first year, there was greater gain in basic skills, as attention (as seen in the CAT) and in the more advanced years (as in the 2nd and 3rd years) improvement in interaction (as seen in the CBCL). Regarding the data obtained by the analysis of IFERA-I, CBCL and TRF in general, it was observed that the higher the score of the indicators of problems reported by parents and teachers, the lower the score in the applied neuropsychological tests. The intervention program was effective in reducing behavioral difficulties and improving cognitive performance.