Peer-reviewed article
Pathways to adolescent executive function in Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children: The role of early skills and learning environments.
Williams KE, Berthelsen D, Rogers J, Laurens KR, Ekberg S et al. ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This longitudinal study examined how early skills and learning environments shape executive function in Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adolescents. Researchers followed 473 young people and found that preschool visual-motor and literacy skills, plus early classroom self-regulation, predicted better executive function in adolescence. While socioeconomic status, preschool attendance, and family support influenced early skill development, they did not directly affect later executive function. Children in remote areas had lower early skills, highlighting environmental barriers to development.
Key points
- Preschool visual-motor and literacy skills predicted adolescent executive function (β = .15)
- Early school classroom self-regulation predicted adolescent executive function (β = .18)
- Contextual factors like socioeconomic status and home learning engagement affected early skill development but not directly adolescent executive function outcomes
- Children in remote areas had lower early skill capability
- Findings support strengths-based approaches that position families as children's first teachers and build parent social capital
Limitations
The study uses observational longitudinal data without experimental design, so causal relationships cannot be definitively established. The findings are specific to Australian Indigenous children and may not generalise to other populations.
Abstract
Understanding and strengthening the developmental pathways of Australian Aboriginal and Torres strait islander young people is of critical importance to efforts seeking to redress more than 200 years of disadvantage due to colonization. Although systemic factors play a key role in addressing disparities, individual-level capacities such as self-regulation and executive function are also essential for positive developmental outcomes and may act as protective factors. This study advances the first longitudinal model of adolescent executive functioning in Australian Indigenous children, examining the role of early home and learning environments and key developmental skills. Using longitudinal data for 473 young people from Footprints in Time: The Longitudinal Study of Indigenous Children, we found preschool visual motor and literacy skills (β = .15) and early school classroom self-regulation (β = .18) predicted adolescent executive function. Contextual factors, including socioeconomic status, preschool attendance, home learning engagement, and parent social support, were linked to early skill development but did not directly predict executive function outcomes. Children living in more remote areas had lower early skill capability, underscoring the important role of environmental constraints. Findings support strengths-based approaches, in which policy and programs reinforce families as children's first teachers in the home and build social capital for parents. Family and early learning services should be made equitably available, particularly in remote areas, and should focus on core skill development for children, as well as home learning and family social support, to ultimately enhance executive function development among Indigenous children. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).