Annual of social work, Vol. 24 No. 3, 2017.
Review article
https://doi.org/10.3935/ljsr.v24i3.155.
ASSESSMENT OF CHILDREN IN THE SOCIAL CARE SYSTEM: ROLE OF EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONS
Sandra Vučković
orcid.org/0000-0002-3672-7450
; Centre for Community Services Osijek – Me just like You, Osijek, Croatia
Silvija Ručević
; Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek. Osijek, Croatia
Abstract
Difficulties in assessing the needs of a child with developmental risk factors within the social care system produce challenges in creating an individual care plan for each child. Studies have shown that children growing up in unfavourable life situations have severe executive dysfunctions. Executive functions is an umbrella term for interrelated processesthat help achieve a goal-directed purposeful behaviourand are indispensable for performing daily activities. Studies have shown that executive dysfunctions are related to learning disabilities, various externalized behavioural problems and personality disorders such as psychopathy. Notwithstanding, executive functions can be improved. The paper presents executive function assessment techniques for children and adolescents, including tests and tasks developed for measuring specific aspects of executive functions, complex test batteries and (self-) assessment scales. The paper also presents challenges in using the assessment of executive functions in children in the social care system and possible ways for overcoming them. Social care and early intervention experts are recommended to use executive function assessment as a tool that can help them develop appropriate individual care plans and treatment interventions in children with developmental risk factors.
Keywords
assessment in social care; executive functions; assessing executive functioning; children and adolescents with developmental risk factors
Hrčak ID:
196189
URI
Publication date:
5.3.2018.
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