ABSTRACT
Until recently the development of the frontal lobes and the functions they subsume in children have received relatively little attention. Early researchers argued that these brain regions were silent in infancy and early childhood, only becoming functional once they were fully developed in later childhood and adolescence (Golden, 1981). Today, this traditional view is being questioned, with research demonstrating that, even while in a process of maturation, the frontal regions of the brain are fully active and engaged, although activation patterns may differ to those observed in the adult brain (Wood et al., 2004). Further, evidence is mounting that the integrity and efficiency of these developing frontal regions is essential for normal development, due to their extensive connections with other cerebral regions and their central role in mediating executive functions (EF). It is now argued that damage or disruption to prefrontal regions while they are rapidly developing during infancy and early childhood may cause irreversible changes in brain organization and connectivity as well as associated impairments in cognitive and social function, which impact on the child’s capacity to interact with his=her environment in an adaptive manner, and reduce the capacity for independence in adulthood (Anderson, Anderson, Northam, Jacobs, & Mikiewicz, 2002; Eslinger, Flaherty-Craig, & Benton, 2004; Jacobs, Anderson, & Harvey, 2001; Jacobs, Harvey, & Anderson, 2007; Johnson, 2001; Kolb, Pellis, & Robinson, 2004).
