Executive Function, Academic Skills, and Learning Disabilities: Integrative Commentary

Abstract

ABSTRACTThis special issue of Mind, Brain, and Education includes articles on the role of executive functions (EFs) in academic skills and learning disabilities, a commentary on the construct of EF and the neurobiology of reading, and a commentary on connecting research to practice. These products are the result of a weeklong TDF (The Dyslexia Foundation) conference in Bermuda, during the summer of 2022. Each paper in the second half of this issue considers EFs from a different perspective or relates them to a different academic skill or outcome (e.g., reading, math, response to intervention). In this commentary, I discuss how consideration of EFs improves our understanding of individual differences in academic skills and learning disabilities, such as reading disability (RD) and math disability (MD). I also discuss the implications of the reported findings and ideas for improving future research, practice, and policy.