Dialogic Reading to Empower Executive Functions in Preschoolers

• Main Authors: Costanza Ruffini (Author), Silvia Spoglianti (Author), Clara Bombonato (Author), Silvia Bonetti (Author), Maria Chiara Di Lieto (Author), Chiara Pecini (Author)
• Format: Book
• Published: MDPI AG, 2021-05-01T00:00:00Z.
• Subjects: article
• Online Access: Connect to this object online.
• Notes: 10.3390/children8050373; 2227-9067
• Keywords: executive functions; dialogic reading; preschool; intervention; shifting; Pediatrics; RJ1-570
• Source: Children, Vol 8, Iss 5, p 373 (2021)

Among the interventions recently developed to enhance Executive Functions (EFs) in preschoolers, Quincey Quokka's Quest (QQQ) is an illustrated book proposing EF activities embedded within a shared reading framework (Howard et al., 2017). In the present study, the Italian version of QQQ (QQQ_IT) was tested in 20 typical developing 4-5 year old children. Standardized tests were used to assess EFs pre- and post- intervention. QQQ_IT was conducted once a week for 8 weeks in small groups. A positive trend was registered in QQQ_IT performances from the first to the last sessions and a significant improvement, in comparison to the control condition, was obtained in the Color and Form Game test. These results, supporting the feasibility of the QQQ_IT intervention and its efficacy in increasing shifting abilities, confirm the usefulness of ecological interventions to empower specific EF components in preschool contexts.