Is there a connection between disabilities and executive function?
Yes, there is a connection between disabilities and executive function. Many students with specific learning disabilities, emotional/behavioral disorders, autism spectrum disorder, and/or ADHD also show signs of deficits in executive functioning.
Group (I): 100 children diagnosed with ADHD only
Group (II): 80 children diagnosed with learning disorder only
Group (III):60 children diagnosed with combined ADHD and learning disorder
Group (IV): 100 typical children
Comprehensive evaluations for special education services will often shed light on specific areas in which a student is exhibiting executive function deficits.
Identifying deficits in basic psychological processes is part of the evaluation process to qualify a student for special education services under the category of specific learning disabilities. Executive functions are included in the basic psychological processes and students with specific learning disabilities often also show signs of executive functioning deficits.
Executive function deficits also accompany ADHD at a high rate. According to Martinussen and Major (2011), “evidence suggests that students with ADHD with executive function deficits display lower levels of academic functioning than their peers without ADHD, and students with ADHD without executive function deficits” (p. 69).
Executive function deficits can be linked to poor self-regulation and impulse control.
Executive Function 