Early delay of gratification predicts later inhibitory control and academic performance in children with prenatal alcohol exposure.

Early delay of gratification predicts later inhibitory control and academic performance in children with prenatal alcohol exposure. Child Neuropsychol. 2020 Aug 10;:1-16 Authors: de Water E, Krueger AM, Lindgren CW, Fuglestad AJ, Rockhold MN, Sandness KE, Eckerle JK, Fink BA, Boys CJ, Wozniak JR Abstract Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) affects 2-5% of the children in the United States. In the preschool age-range, inhibitory deficits frequently manifest as impaired ability to delay gratification, which is associated with deficits in cognitive flexibility in these children. The goal of this longitudinal study was to determine whether the ability to delay gratification in preschool children with FASD is (1) associated with broader manifestations in temperament and behavior; (2) predictive of later inhibitory control, cognitive flexibility and working memory in middle childhood; and (3) predictive of later parent-reported behavioral problems and school functioning in middle childhood. Forty-seven children with FASD, ages 2.5-5 years were administered a delay of gratification task in which they chose between receiving 2 snacks immediately or 10 snacks after waiting for 10 min. Two groups were defined based on a median split of waiting time. Four years later, 29 children completed measures of inhibitory control (Flanker task), cognitive flexibility (Dimensional Change Card Sort Test), and working memory (Stanford-Binet Intelligence ...
Source: Child Neuropsychology - Category: Child Development Authors: Tags: Child Neuropsychol Source Type: research