Executive Functions and Writing

Description

Executive functions are a set of cognitive processes we use to act on information, manage resources, and plan and monitor our own behaviour, all with the aim of achieving an end goal. These are skills that develop from infancy. While 'reading' has been extensively studied in psychology literature, 'writing' has been somewhat neglected, despite a lack of capability in this area being linked to poverty and social exclusion. This book is the first comprehensive and state-of-the-art review of the relationship between executive function skills and writing. It explores its role across the lifespan, addressing all groups of writers, from children and those with learning and language difficulties, to adults and elders. It considers theoretical viewpoints, assessment and methodological issues, and developmental disorders, and closes with insightful commentary chapters that draw future directions for investigating executive functions. Written by internationally recognized scholars in the field, this is a new and innovative contribution which will provide essential reading among researchers, educators, and graduate students interested in understanding the cognitive underpinnings of writing throughout the lifespan cover Half title Executive Functions and Writing Copyright Contents Abbreviations Contributors I. INTRODUCTION 1. Why Should We Be Looking at the Relationship Between Executive Functions and Writing? II. MODELS OF EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONS AND WRITING 2. Current Issues in the Conceptualization and Measurement of Executive Function Skills 3. Executive Control and the Writer(s)-​Within-​Community Model III METHODS FOR ASSESSING EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONS AND WRITING 4. Assessment of Executive Functions in Children 5. Capturing the Challenges in Assessing Writing: Development and Writing Dimensions IV EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONS AND WRITING ACROSS THE LIFESPAN 6. Executive Functions and Writing Skills in Children and Adolescents: Developmental Associations and Dissociations 7. How Do Executive Functions Issues Affect Writing in Students with Neurodevelopmental Disorders? 8. Promoting Executive Functions During the Writing Process 9. Executive Functions in Skilled Writers 10. The Ageing Writer V CONCLUSIONS AND FUTURE DIRECTIONS 11. Broader Approaches to Defining, Assessing, and Strengthening Executive Control in Writing 12. Executive Functions: Rediscovering Their Roots with the Help of Writing 13. The Future Role of Executive Functions in Education: From Acquisition to Knowledge and Effective Application Index