This review examines theoretical and methodological issues in developing a developmental perspective on executive function (EF) in childhood and adolescence. Unlike most reviews focusing on preschoolers, this study includes a wide age range. It outlines the development of EF components— inhibition, working memory (WM), and shifting. Cognitive and neurophysiological assessments show that EF emerges early but continues to develop throughout childhood and adolescence. The components have different developmental trajectories. The paper relates findings to developmental issues and suggests research needed for a developmental framework encompassing early childhood through adolescence. Executive functions (EF) are cognitive processes underlying goal-directed behavior, orchestrated by the prefrontal cortex (PFC). Recent research on children's EF has three limitations: narrow age ranges, focus on preschoolers, and lack of information on developmental processes after age 5. Despite a large literature on EF in children, there is no truly developmental account of EF across childhood and adolescence. This paper aims to construct such an account, distinguishing it from previous reviews. It focuses on studies with a large age range to outline EF developmental trajectories and examine EF within a developmental theoretical framework. Theoretical and methodological challenges include narrow age ranges, few studies on developmental sequences, and lack of agreement on whether EF is a unitary construct or independent components. Miyake et al. (2000) propose that EF consists of interrelated but distinct components— inhibition, WM, and shifting. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) supports this model in young adults. Studies with children also support this model, showing that EF components are dissociable but interrelated. Neuroscience studies show that PFC activity is involved in WM and inhibition. Structural imaging studies indicate that PFC development involves both progressive and regressive changes. The PFC matures later in adolescence, unlike many other brain regions. Developmental neuroscience studies can enrich understanding of EF development by determining how neural correlates of behavior change over time. Inhibition is foundational for EF. It involves response inhibition, which develops rapidly in early childhood and continues to improve through adolescence. Tasks like the Day/Night task and Luria's hand game assess complex response inhibition. The Dimensional Change Card Sort (DCCS) is another complex inhibition task. Studies show that inhibition improves from age 3 to 6, with continued improvements into adolescence. However, the rate of improvement varies across tasks and age groups. Working memory (WM) involves maintaining and manipulating information. It develops rapidly in early childhood and continues to improve through adolescence. WM tasks vary in complexity and executive demands. Neuroimaging studies show that WM involves fronto-parietal networks, with activity increasing through childhood and adolescence. Structural changes in white matter, such as myelination, correlate with WM development. Shifting involves switching between mental states, rule sets, or tasks. It requires inhibition and WM processes. Tasks like the DCCS and Stroop-like tasks assess shifting. Studies show that shifting improves from early childhood through adolescenceThis review examines theoretical and methodological issues in developing a developmental perspective on executive function (EF) in childhood and adolescence. Unlike most reviews focusing on preschoolers, this study includes a wide age range. It outlines the development of EF components— inhibition, working memory (WM), and shifting. Cognitive and neurophysiological assessments show that EF emerges early but continues to develop throughout childhood and adolescence. The components have different developmental trajectories. The paper relates findings to developmental issues and suggests research needed for a developmental framework encompassing early childhood through adolescence. Executive functions (EF) are cognitive processes underlying goal-directed behavior, orchestrated by the prefrontal cortex (PFC). Recent research on children's EF has three limitations: narrow age ranges, focus on preschoolers, and lack of information on developmental processes after age 5. Despite a large literature on EF in children, there is no truly developmental account of EF across childhood and adolescence. This paper aims to construct such an account, distinguishing it from previous reviews. It focuses on studies with a large age range to outline EF developmental trajectories and examine EF within a developmental theoretical framework. Theoretical and methodological challenges include narrow age ranges, few studies on developmental sequences, and lack of agreement on whether EF is a unitary construct or independent components. Miyake et al. (2000) propose that EF consists of interrelated but distinct components— inhibition, WM, and shifting. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) supports this model in young adults. Studies with children also support this model, showing that EF components are dissociable but interrelated. Neuroscience studies show that PFC activity is involved in WM and inhibition. Structural imaging studies indicate that PFC development involves both progressive and regressive changes. The PFC matures later in adolescence, unlike many other brain regions. Developmental neuroscience studies can enrich understanding of EF development by determining how neural correlates of behavior change over time. Inhibition is foundational for EF. It involves response inhibition, which develops rapidly in early childhood and continues to improve through adolescence. Tasks like the Day/Night task and Luria's hand game assess complex response inhibition. The Dimensional Change Card Sort (DCCS) is another complex inhibition task. Studies show that inhibition improves from age 3 to 6, with continued improvements into adolescence. However, the rate of improvement varies across tasks and age groups. Working memory (WM) involves maintaining and manipulating information. It develops rapidly in early childhood and continues to improve through adolescence. WM tasks vary in complexity and executive demands. Neuroimaging studies show that WM involves fronto-parietal networks, with activity increasing through childhood and adolescence. Structural changes in white matter, such as myelination, correlate with WM development. Shifting involves switching between mental states, rule sets, or tasks. It requires inhibition and WM processes. Tasks like the DCCS and Stroop-like tasks assess shifting. Studies show that shifting improves from early childhood through adolescence