Disfunción ejecutiva en el Trastorno Específico del Lenguaje

There is growing consensus among the scientific community on the need to consider neuropsychological performance as a coadjuvant element in the symptomatic characterization of Specific Language Impairment (SLI). This need is based on the close relationship between language acquisition and use and the functions of other cognitive domains. The aim of this study was to assess executive function performance in a sample of 31 children diagnosed with SLI and 19 control children. The neuropsychological protocol included tests that assessed verbal and visuospatial working memory, planning, verbal and design fluency, inhibition, and alternations. The results showed that the SLI group performed worse in all variables. Specifically, deficits were observed in all executive functions assessed except planning. Overall, our results suggest the need to take executive performance into account in the diagnosis of children with SLI and to consider its implications for the development of effective therapeutic interventions.