Background: The consequences for children born with birth defects and developmental disabilities encompassed by foetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) are profound,
affecting all areas of social, behavioural and cognitive functioning. Given the strong
evidence for a core deficit in executive functioning, underpinned by impaired self‐
regulation skills, there has been a growing focus on the development of interventions that
enhance or support the development of executive functions (EFs).
Objectives: The primary objective of this review is to synthesise the evidence for
structured psychological interventions that explicitly aim to improve EF in children. The
review also sought to ascertain if the effectiveness of interventions were influenced by
characteristics of the intervention, participants or type of EF targeted by the intervention.