Profile of young people in care in Ontario, Canada, on measures of executive functioning and reading and math achievement

BACKGROUND: Children in care are at risk of a variety of negative developmental outcomes. Of particular concern are their often poor academic skills. Previous research suggests that executive functioning skills (e.g.,... [ view full abstract ]

BACKGROUND: Children in care are at risk of a variety of negative developmental outcomes. Of particular concern are their often poor academic skills. Previous research suggests that executive functioning skills (e.g., inhibitory control, attention, working memory) are core components of educational success for children in the general population. To date, however, little research has been conducted on the executive functioning and academic profiles of children in care.
OBJECTIVES: The objective of the present study is to assess the general executive functioning and specific math and reading skills of children in care in order to better understand their developmental profiles and academic needs.
METHODS: One hundred and eighty-six children in care (107 males and 78 females; age range = 5-17 years; mean age = 11.11 years; school grade range = 1-12; mean school grade = 6.25) were recruited from three Children’s Aid Societies located in Ontario, Canada. All participants were recruited as part of two randomized controlled trials that evaluated two different educational (i.e., tutoring) interventions. All of the children were assessed at baseline on their math and reading skills via the Woodcock-Johnson III (WJIII), while cognitive skills were assessed via caregiver-reported measures (the Conner’s Parent Rating Scale and the Comprehensive Executive Functions Inventory [CEFI]). Behaviour was assessed via the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire [SDQ]. Descriptive analyses were conducted to assess the academic and cognitive profile of these children at the pretests.
RESULTS: In terms of cognitive processes, results from the CEFI indicated that overall executive functioning skills were considerably below average (12th percentile), with the greatest difficulty observed on working memory and organizational skills (both at the 12th percentile). Data from the Conners showed that attentional skills were also below average. Overall behavioural difficulties were found to be above average (i.e., one standard deviation above the population mean). Results from the WJIII indicated that the young people’s academic skills were at the 16th percentile (i.e., one standard deviation below the population mean), with their performance in reading being relatively stronger than in mathematics. Oral language skills, listening comprehension, and short-term memory were average. In general, the boys tended to perform more poorly than the girls.
IMPLICATIONS: The results of this study provide insight into the areas of general and specific academic strength and weakness of children in care and thus can inform interventions to improve their academic outcomes.

Conference topics/themes:

1. Education and qualification improvement of young people in care.

2. Safeguarding children in the early years

Format – Oral communication (symposium)