The Relationship Among Language-Based Problem-Solving Skill, Executive Function, and Theory of Mind in Children With Vocabulary Delay and Typically Developing Children

Key Points

• This research aims to understand how executive function and theory of mind influence language problem-solving skills in children with vocabulary delays compared to typically developing peers.
• Participants included 14 children with vocabulary delays and 36 typically developing children aged 5-7 years.
• Tasks assessed executive functions (working memory, shifting, sustained attention), theory of mind, and language problem-solving skills.
• Comparative analysis of performance and correlation studies were conducted across the two groups.
• The groups showed significant differences in various executive function tasks and language problem-solving assessments.
• Typically developing children demonstrated positive correlations across sustained attention and language problem-solving tasks, while no significant links were found in theory of mind and language problem-solving.
• For children with vocabulary delays, working memory and sustained attention were significantly related to various language assessments, and multiple regression analysis indicated age and expressive vocabulary as key predictors of language problem-solving.