title: Neuropsychological stimulation of executive functions in children with typical development: A systematic review.
abstract: This systematic review aimed to characterize empirical studies on neuropsychological interventions to stimulate executive functions in children with typical development. Searches were conducted according to the PRISMA method. Nineteen (19) studies on the analysis to evaluate the effectiveness of intervention programs in pre-school and school children were obtained. There was a predominance of studies that used computerized cognitive training, most of them involving the stimulation of working memory. Others used pen and paper forms, or hybrid tasks, and some programs used a school curriculum approach aiming to improve self-regulation. Results provide preliminary evidence on the effectiveness of such on the executive performance in children with typical development. Each executive component, as well as each type of intervention has its peculiarities. Computerized trainings and pen and paper tasks tend to improve the targeted executive functions, but transfer effects are still inconsistent. Regarding the effects of programs using school curriculum approach, they seem to be more generalizable, with functionality gains accomplishing mainly socio-emotional regulation. Multimodal approaches may be even more effective. Follow-up studies should be targeted in order to track the maintenance of direct and transfer effects regarding mainly cognitive and social development associated to school achievement.
authors: a Department of Psychology , Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul , Porto , Alegre , Brazil.|b Department of Psychology , Universidade Feevale , Novo Hamburgo , Brazil.
authors: Caroline de Oliveira
authors: CO
authors: Cardoso
authors: c Department of Psychology , Centro Universitário Fundação Instituto de Ensino para Osasco , São Paulo , Brazil.
authors: Natália
authors: N
authors: Dias
authors: d Department of Psychology , Universidade Feevale , Novo Hamburgo , Brazil.
authors: Joana
authors: J
authors: Senger
authors: d Department of Psychology , Universidade Feevale , Novo Hamburgo , Brazil.
authors: Ana Paula Cervi
authors: APC
authors: Colling
authors: e Department of Psychology , Universidade Prespiteriana Mackenzie , São Paulo , Brazil.
authors: Alessandra Gotuzo
authors: AG
authors: Seabra
authors: a Department of Psychology , Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul , Porto , Alegre , Brazil.
authors: Rochele Paz
authors: RP
authors: Fonseca
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002657:Child Development / Q000502:physiology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015928:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D056344:Executive Function / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests
keywords: Children; cognitive stimulation; executive functions; neuropsychological intervention