The Preschool Kitchen Task Assessment (PKTA): A Pilot Study Exploring Executive Functioning in Children Ages 3 to 6 Years

<p><strong>Background and purpose.</strong> The Preschool Kitchen Task Assessment (PKTA) is a newly developed assessment tool based on the principles of the Kitchen Task Assessment (KTA) and may be a valuable tool for assessing executive function (EF). There is a lack of age-appropriate assessments for EF in occupational therapy. The purpose of this study was to examine the use of the PKTA as a new assessment and determine if it is a valid measure of EF in preschool children.</p> <p><strong>Subjects.</strong> The total sample consisted of 11 willing preschool-aged children and their parents, with a female to male ratio of 8:3 and a mean age of 4.5 years.</p> <p><strong>Methods.</strong> A non-experimental exploratory design was utilized to examine the relationship between the PKTA and other neuropsychological assessments. A series Pearson’s correlation coefficients were calculated to examine the relationship between the PKTA and two other neuropsychological tests: BRIEF-P and a modified Digit Span Backward.</p> <p><strong>Results.</strong> A low, non significant correlation between PKTA total score and BRIEF-P GEC score (r = .12). A moderate to good correlation between the PKTA time and BRIEF-P GEC score (r = .68). Little to fair correlations between PKTA total score and the BRIEF-P clinical scales with a range of .17 to .41. A correlation could not be found between PKTA and Digit Span Backward. A moderate, negative correlation found between age in months and PKTA total scores (r = .74). Through qualitative observations, the PKTA was found to be ecologically valid.</p> <p><strong>Discussion and conclusion.</strong> Results revealed weak support that the PKTA is a valid measure in assessing EF in preschoolers. The PKTA is developmentally sensitive to age with support that it is an ecologically valid assessment. The PKTA may be a beneficial tool in order to gain a complete understanding of a child’s needs.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Science in Occupational Therapy

Level thesis:degree_level

Master's Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Occupational Therapy

Year dc:date.available

2014

Authors dc:creator

• Yuson, Annette M.
• Engelhardt, Mallory Hope
• Dizon, Fanny Canlas

Contributors dc:contributor

• Julia Wilbarger, PhD, OTR/L

• Preschool Kitchen Task Assessment
• Executive Functioning
• Pre-school
• Occupational Therapy

Repository record dc:identifier

https://scholar.dominican.edu/masters-theses/10

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:scholar.dominican.edu:masters-theses-1015