This study investigated the relations among executive functions and cognitive abilities through a joint exploratory factor analysis and joint conÞrmatory factor analysis of 25 test scores from the Delis-Kaplan Executive Function System and the Woodcock-Johnson III Tests of Cognitive Abilities. Participants were 100 children and adolescents recruited from general education classrooms. Principal axis factoring followed by an oblique rotation yielded a six-factor solution. The Schmid-Leiman transformation was then used to examine the relations between speciÞc cognitive ability factors and a general factor. A variety of hypothesis-driven models were also tested using conÞrmatory factor analysis. Results indicated that all tests measure the general factor, and 24 tests measure at least one of Þve broad cognitive ability factors outlined by the Cattell-Horn-Carroll theory of cognitive abilities. These results, with limitations considered, add to the body of evidence supporting the conßuence of measures of executive functions and measures of cognitive abilities derived from individual testing. C 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.In recent years, a number of assessment instruments measuring executive functions (e.g., Gioia, Isquith, Guy, & Kenworthy, 2000) and books targeting them (e.g., McClosky, Perkins, & Van Diviner, 2008) have been marketed to school psychologists and other professionals engaged in assessment of children and adolescents. Executive functions can be conceived as the set of cognitive processes that promote the organization of thought and behavior, but, like the term intelligence, its deÞnitions vary substantially. For example, some equate executive functions with self-regulation, which seems to describe something much more general than a cognitive process. Eslinger (1996) offered the following deÞnition of executive functions after reviewing chapters by experts devoted to conceptualizing and measuring them:Executive functions are deÞned as psychological processes that have the purpose of controlling implementation of activation-inhibition response sequences that is guided by diverse neural representations (verbal The Woodcock-Muñoz Foundation provided Þnancial support for the study. The opinions expressed in this manuscript do not necessarily reßect those of the Woodcock-Muñoz Foundation.

This study examined the convergent relations between scores from four clinical clusters from the Woodcock-Johnson III Tests of Cognitive Abilities (WJ III) and measures of executive functions using a sample of school-aged children and a sample of adults. The WJ III clinical clusters included the Working Memory, Cognitive Fluency, Broad Attention, and Executive Processes clusters, and the measures of executive functions were from the Delis-Kaplan Executive Function System (D-KEFS). Across both samples, all clinical clusters demonstrated evidence of statistically significant and moderate positive relations with at least some measures of executive functions. The Executive Processes cluster demonstrated relations with measures of executive functions that tended to be the strongest and most consistent of the WJ III clinical clusters. When these relations between the clinical clusters and the measures of executive functions were contrasted with the relations between the WJ III Comprehension-Knowledge cluster and the same measures of executive functions, results called into question the distinction between process and content but suggested that there is a common ability or common abilities underlying performance across all of the WJ III and D-KEFS measures.

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This article presents current statistics on nonmedical use of both categories of prescription medications by high school and college students. The incidence of nonmedical use of prescription medications continues to increase among high school and college students. Two categories of drugs that are commonly used for reasons other than those for which the drugs are prescribed are those used for pain and those prescribed for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. Demographic and behavioral characteristics of students who are most likely to engage in intentional abuse of stimulants and pain medications as well as stated motivations for use are presented. C 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

This article provides an overview of pediatric sleep disturbances with emphases on types and treatments. Relationships between sleep disorders and comorbid conditions function to exacerbate and maintain both disorders. An estimated 20% of teenagers experience chronic partial sleep deprivation, resulting in problems with memory, attention, and behavior control. Treatment of choice for chronic partial sleep deprivation involves a comprehensive approach to regularizing the adolescent's sleep -wake schedule. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) calls into question the validity of upward trends in prescribing for children and adolescents who report sleep problems. The AAP has issued a consensus statement on prescribing hypnotics to children and adolescents, arguing that further clinical trials are necessary to determine appropriate pediatric dosages. The AAP recommends that pediatricians educate families about good sleep practices and behavioral interventions. C 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.