An Action Research to Explore the Crucial Role of Executive Functioning in the Development of Children with Neurodevelopmental Disorders

Abstract

Children with neurodevelopmental disorders encounter a distinctive cluster of challenges in academic and social development, a substantial proportion of which stem from difficulties in executive functioning (EF). This action research investigated whether a structured, activity-centred training programme targeting EF skills could generate measurable developmental progress in school-going children diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), and learning disabilities. Grounding the intervention in a well-established conceptual framework that foregrounds cognitive flexibility, working memory, and inhibitory control as core neurocognitive processes, the study administered a ten-month programme to 27 students between the ages of 8 and 13 enrolled in the special education department of a mainstream CBSE school. Data collection combined pre- and post-intervention checklist assessments with qualitative observation, classroom tracking, and structured interviews with teachers and parents. Results showed a mean improvement of 10.76% in elementary-level participants and 6.23% in middle-school students, with 11 of 27 children transitioning from a deficit range to functional performance. These findings support the conclusion that regular, practice-oriented engagement with EF tasks can produce tangible gains even in children with significant neurodevelopmental constraints, and that initiating intervention at an earlier developmental stage is associated with more pronounced improvement.