INSTRUMENTS USED IN THE ASSESSMENT OF EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONS IN PRESCHOOL (Atena Editora)

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Executive functions (EF) have a regulatory role in human behavior, they develop throughout childhood and adolescence and when their development is not satisfactory, it may indicate developmental, learning or behavioral disorders. Therefore, the survey of EF investigation instruments in preschool children is important, mainly for the identification of dysfunctions and the development of early interventions. from 2019 to January 2020. Descriptors considered important for the proposed objectives were used, namely: neuropsychological assessment, instruments, executive functions, preschoolers.RESULTS: Trail Test for Preschoolers, followed by the Attention Cancellation Test, of the Columbia Mental Maturity Scale and the Stroop test. The average age of the children tested was 3 to 6 years and most of the articles aimed to correlate the results of the EF tests with learning disorders and cognitive development disorders. DISCUSSION: It was possible to notice that studies aimed at evaluating EF in preschool-age children are still scarce, especially empirical studies. It was also noted that the number of tests adapted and validated for this age group are small, which can make access and diagnosis of dysfunctions difficult, thus reducing the chances of early intervention.