Multisensory approaches to executive function assessment in preschool children with visual impairment: a literature review

Abstract

Executive functions (EF) represent a set of higher-order cognitive processes that are essential for self-regulation, learning, and adaptation. In children with visual impairment, the literature suggests increased vulnerability in domains such as planning, inhibitory control, cognitive flexibility, and working memory. Clinical assessment in this population is challenging due to the limited accessibility of standardized instruments based on visual stimuli. The current review aims to identify challenges in assessment and outline a multisensory approach adapted for clinical use. Based on the reviewed evidence, a new multisensory assessment approach should include tasks targeting the main executive domains and adopt multisensory adaptations (tactile and auditory) to reduce visual load and enhance residual perceptual channels. This approach can lead to a more accurate and clinically meaningful functional profile to: (i) guide early, individualized interventions oriented toward autonomy and participation, and (ii) monitor the effectiveness of rehabilitative intervention.