Executive functioning: a scoping review of the occupational therapy literature.
BACKGROUND
Increasingly recognized as an important factor in the performance of complex, goal-directed tasks, executive functioning is understood in different ways across disciplines.


OBJECTIVE
The aim was to explore the ways in which executive functioning is conceptualized, discussed, described, and implied in the occupational therapy literature.


METHODS
A scoping review of the occupational therapy literature was conducted following Levac, Colquhoun, and O'Brien's (2010) recommended methodology.


RESULTS
Executive functioning is described both as a set of performance component skills or processes and as the executive occupational performance inherent in complex occupations. Executive functioning is implicit in occupational performance and engagement, and some health conditions seem to be commonly associated with impaired executive functioning. Assessing executive functioning requires dynamic occupation- and performance-based assessment. Interventions targeting executive functioning are grounded in metacognitive approaches.


CONCLUSIONS
Executive functioning is a complex construct that is conceptualized with considerable variance within the occupational therapy literature, creating barriers to effective service delivery.
School of Rehabilitation Therapy, Queen's University, Louise D. Acton Building, 31 George Street, Kingston, ON, Canada K7L 3N6. heidi.cramm@queensu.ca
Heidi A
HA
Cramm
Terry M
TM
Krupa
Cheryl A
CA
Missiuna
Rosemary M
RM
Lysaght
Kevin H
KH
Parker
D056344:Executive Function / Q000145:classification*; D006801:Humans; D009788:Occupational Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D012107:Research Design