Script Execution and Turning Back by Children with Intellectual Disability: An Investigation Using Dressing Scripts

This study investigated execution of scripts by children with intellectual disability (ID), with and without turning back in the script. Seventeen children with ID and 17 typically developing (TD) children matched on vocabulary skills completed a doll-dressing task designed to assess script execution under standard and turning-back conditions. The task consisted of two tests: a script checking test (SCT), which measured execution without turning back, and a turning-back test (TBT), which required flexible execution with turning back. No significant difference was found between the ID and TD groups on the SCT. However, children with ID outperformed TD children on the TBT. These findings indicate that children with ID executed the scripts primarily on the basis of knowledge acquired through daily life experience.