Being late for school as related to mothers and children's executive functions and daily routine management

This study analyzes mothers’ and children's’ executive functions (EF) and daily routine management among children who are late to school and those who are on time. Participants were 60 children ages 7.0–9.0, 27 defined as being “late” and 33 “on time” for school. Mothers completed the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF) about their children and the self-report adult version, and the Executive Functions and Occupations Rating Scale (EFORTS) about their child's daily routine. Significantly poorer EF abilities were found among mothers and children in the “late” group and in children's daily routine management compared to those “on time”. Significant relationships were found between children's EF and their daily routine. Specific mothers’ and child's EF predicted 44 % of the variance in the child's daily routine management above group membership. Understanding the underlying mechanism of being late may lead to interventions to improve mothers' and children's daily functioning.