Cognitive Analysis of 9 to 11-Year-Old Children With Intellectual Development Disorders

Cognitive development significantly influences efficiency and results of child’s understanding and comprehension of the world. Attention and cognition play a significant role to ensure academic achievement and success. Attention is essential for purposeful planning of action and systematic work. Attention is necessary to follow the study material and for physical survival in everyday life. Cognition is significant in decision making and evaluating possible outcomes, being especially important in children with cognitive development disorders. The aim of the present study was to find out the peculiarities of the cognitive processes in 9 to 11-year-old children with cognitive development disorders. Previous literature suggests that children with intellectual development disorders are at increased risk of general cognitive disorders. To test this assumption and establish cognitive abilities in children with intellectual development disorders, the following subtests of the Vienna Test System (VTS) were used: CPM/S2 (Raven's Coloured Progressive Matrices), B19 (Double Labyrinth Test) and WAFF (Perception and Attention Functions: Focused Attention). VTS is one of the leading computer-based psychophysiological testing systems in Europe. In addition to testing, behavioural observations were also carried out. Study results reveal that children with a shared diagnosis are not as similar when it comes to cognition and attention. Not all children within the sample group exhibited reduced attention and concentration, although the whole participant sample was diagnosed with intellectual development disorder. Meanwhile, risk factors hindering normal cognitive development were identified.