An Early Years Toolbox for Assessing Early Executive Function, Language, Self-Regulation, and Social Development: Validity, Reliability, and Preliminary Norms

Steven J Howard, Edward Melhuish, Steven J Howard, Edward Melhuish

Abstract

Several methods of assessing executive function (EF), self-regulation, language development, and social development in young children have been developed over previous decades. Yet new technologies make available methods of assessment not previously considered. In resolving conceptual and pragmatic limitations of existing tools, the Early Years Toolbox (EYT) offers substantial advantages for early assessment of language, EF, self-regulation, and social development. In the current study, results of our large-scale administration of this toolbox to 1,764 preschool and early primary school students indicated very good reliability, convergent validity with existing measures, and developmental sensitivity. Results were also suggestive of better capture of children's emerging abilities relative to comparison measures. Preliminary norms are presented, showing a clear developmental trajectory across half-year age groups. The accessibility of the EYT, as well as its advantages over existing measures, offers considerably enhanced opportunities for objective measurement of young children's abilities to enable research and educational applications.

Keywords: development; early years; executive function; language; self-regulation; social.

Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Conflicting Interests: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Screen captures of Early Years Toolbox Apps (title screen and test item screen captures). Note. Top row, from left to right: Mr. Ant (visual-spatial working memory), Not This (phonological working memory), Card Sorting (shifting), Go/No-Go (inhibition). Bottom row, from left to right: Expressive Vocabulary, Child Self-Regulation and Behavior Questionnaire (self-regulation and social development).

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