title: Social skills and executive function among youth with sickle cell disease: a preliminary investigation.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore the relationship between executive function (EF) and social skills in youth with sickle cell disease (SCD).
  
  
  METHODS
  20 youth with SCD completed objective tests of EF (Tasks of Executive Control; Animal Sorting subtest from the Developmental Neuropsychological Assessment-Second Edition), an IQ screener, and paper-and-pencil measures of social skills (Social Skills Improvement System [SSIS]). Primary caregivers completed paper-and-pencil measures of EF (Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function) and social skills (SSIS).
  
  
  RESULTS
  EF scores from the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function related to parent- and child-reported social skills such that EF deficits correlated with poorer overall and domain-specific social skills. Similarly, EF scores from the Animal Sorting test related to child-reported social skills. Worse parent-reported EF predicted worse parent-reported social skills above the variance accounted for by IQ.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  EF is related to social skills and may be necessary for successful social interaction among youth with SCD. These results provide rationale and guidance for future larger-scale investigations of EF and social skills among children with SCD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Department of Psychology, Nationwide Children's Hospital, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Hematology and Oncology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Department of Psychiatry, University of Minnesota, and Program in Occupational Therapy and Department of Pediatrics, Division of Hematology and Oncology, Washington University School of Medicine hensler@uab.edu.
authors.forename: Molly
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hensler
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Department of Psychology, Nationwide Children's Hospital, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Hematology and Oncology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Department of Psychiatry, University of Minnesota, and Program in Occupational Therapy and Department of Pediatrics, Division of Hematology and Oncology, Washington University School of Medicine.
authors.forename: Kelly
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Wolfe
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Department of Psychology, Nationwide Children's Hospital, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Hematology and Oncology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Department of Psychiatry, University of Minnesota, and Program in Occupational Therapy and Department of Pediatrics, Division of Hematology and Oncology, Washington University School of Medicine.
authors.forename: Jeffrey
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lebensburger
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Department of Psychology, Nationwide Children's Hospital, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Hematology and Oncology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Department of Psychiatry, University of Minnesota, and Program in Occupational Therapy and Department of Pediatrics, Division of Hematology and Oncology, Washington University School of Medicine.
authors.forename: Jilian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Nieman
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Department of Psychology, Nationwide Children's Hospital, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Hematology and Oncology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Department of Psychiatry, University of Minnesota, and Program in Occupational Therapy and Department of Pediatrics, Division of Hematology and Oncology, Washington University School of Medicine.
authors.forename: Margaux
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Barnes
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Department of Psychology, Nationwide Children's Hospital, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Hematology and Oncology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Department of Psychiatry, University of Minnesota, and Program in Occupational Therapy and Department of Pediatrics, Division of Hematology and Oncology, Washington University School of Medicine.
authors.forename: William
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Nolan
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Department of Psychology, Nationwide Children's Hospital, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Hematology and Oncology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Department of Psychiatry, University of Minnesota, and Program in Occupational Therapy and Department of Pediatrics, Division of Hematology and Oncology, Washington University School of Medicine.
authors.forename: Allison
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: King
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Department of Psychology, Nationwide Children's Hospital, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Hematology and Oncology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Department of Psychiatry, University of Minnesota, and Program in Occupational Therapy and Department of Pediatrics, Division of Hematology and Oncology, Washington University School of Medicine.
authors.forename: Avi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Madan-Swain
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000755:Anemia, Sickle Cell / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D056344:Executive Function; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D066107:Social Skills
keywords: executive function; sickle cell disease; social skills