title: Executive Function in SLI: Recent Advances and Future Directions.
abstract: This paper provides a review of recent research on executive function abilities in children with specific language impairment (SLI). Across several studies, children with SLI are reported to perform worse than typically developing peers on measures of sustained attention, working memory, inhibition, and attention shifting. However, few studies have considered multiple executive function components simultaneously and even fewer have examined the underlying relationship between executive function deficits and impaired language acquisition. We argue that in order to fully understand the nature of executive function deficits in SLI, the field must move past simply identifying weaknesses to instead test models of executive function development and explore the nature of the relationship between executive function and language. Future research directions are recommended in order to achieve these goals.
authors.affiliation: Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, University of Arizona, 1311 E. 2nd Street, P.O. Box 210071, Tucson, Arizona 85721-0071, , , leahkapa@email.arizona.edu.
authors.forename: Leah L
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Kapa
authors.affiliation: Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, University of Arizona, 1311 E. 2nd Street, P.O. Box 210071, Tucson, Arizona 85721-0071, , , eplante@email.arizona.edu.
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Plante
keywords: attention; attention shifting; cognitive development; executive function; inhibition; specific language impairment; working memory