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INTRODUCTION
Executive functions are a set of inter-related abilities that facilitate purposeful, goal-oriented behavior (Lezak, 1995). These abilities emerge early in life and continue to develop until mid to late adolescence or early adulthood (Romine & Reynolds, 2005). Executive functions play an important role in the development of other abilities during this period, including learning and memory skills (Bjorklund & Douglas, 1997; Schlagmüller & Schneider, 2002), reading and math proficiency (McClelland, Cameron, Connor, Farris, Jewkes, & Morrison, 2007; St. Clair-Thompson & Gathercole, 2006), social-emotional competence (Riggs, Jahromi, Razza, Dillworth-Bart, & Mueller, 2006), and level of adaptive functioning (Blair & Peters, 2003). Impairments in executive functions are also considered to be a core feature of several developmental disorders, including autism (Russo, Flanagan, Iarocci, Berringer, Zelazo, & Burack, 2007) and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD: Barkley, 1997; Willcutt, Doyle, Nigg, Faraone, & Pennington, 2005). Given the involvement of executive functions in both typical and atypical development, they have become the focus of considerable clinical interest and empirical study.
The Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF) is a questionnaire that was developed to provide clinicians with a means of assessing the executive functions of youth in an ecologically valid manner (Gioia, Isquith, Guy, & Kenworthy, 2000a, 2000b). The BRIEF is based on the premise that parents and teachers can provide useful information about the executive functions of youth by reporting on their behavior outside of the testing environment. An overall index of executive dysfunction is provided by the Global Executive Composite, which is comprised of two subordinate indices called the Behavioral Regulation Index and the Metacognition Index. The Behavioral Regulation Index is comprised of 3 scales, including Inhibit (e.g., delay or stop impulsive behaviors), Shift (e.g., change tasks and adapt to new situations) and Emotional Control (e.g., modulate mood appropriately). The Metacognition Index is comprised of 5 scales, including Initiate (e.g., generate ideas, start new tasks), Working Memory (e.g., sustain one's focus, keep information in mind), Plan/Organize (e.g., think prospectively, follow a plan), Organization of Materials (e.g., clean-up after oneself), and Monitor (e.g., check one's work for errors, monitor the effect of one's behavior on other people).
In clinical settings, the BRIEF has been used to evaluate the executive functions of children and...