A study by Walda et al. (2014) examined whether executive functioning (EF)—a set of mental skills used for planning, attention, and self-regulation—relates to reading and spelling abilities in children with dyslexia and, more importantly, whether EF predicts improvement during a structured remediation program.
Dyslexia is primarily associated with phonological processing difficulties, such as poor sound-letter mapping, verbal short-term memory, and rapid naming. Some researchers have proposed that EF deficits may also play a role, but the evidence is mixed. EF itself is hard to define and overlaps with other functions like intelligence and working memory, making it difficult to measure consistently.
The study included 229 Dutch children with diagnosed dyslexia, aged 7 to 11. All had reading and/or spelling difficulties, had failed to respond to prior intervention, and had average or above-average IQ. Assessments included:
- IQ tests
- Working memory tests
- 12 EF tasks (e.g., inhibition, switching, attention, naming speed)
- Standardized reading and spelling tests
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The researchers found small, statistically significant relationships between EF and initial reading and spelling scores. However, these links were weak. Crucially, EF skills did not predict progress in reading or spelling during the remediation program.
These results suggest that while EF might correlate slightly with reading ability at a single point in time, it is not a useful predictor of literacy improvement. This finding challenges the assumption that training EF skills (e.g., working memory or inhibition) will boost literacy outcomes.
The authors note several issues with EF research: unclear definitions, inconsistent task results, and overlapping cognitive domains. Given these challenges, the inconsistent findings across previous studies are understandable.
Ultimately, this study reinforces the idea that phonological deficits are the central cause of dyslexia. Interventions should continue to focus on direct, phonics-based approaches rather than cognitive training aimed at executive functions.
Conclusion
Executive functioning has only a limited connection to reading and spelling in dyslexic children and does not influence how much they improve with instruction. Structured literacy interventions, not EF training, remain the most effective method for supporting children with dyslexia.
