What Are Executive Functions and How Do They Develop Through Childhood?
Working memory, inhibition and cognitive flexibility are not one single skill. Research shows these processes develop at different rates across childhood.
Child Development · Neuroscience · Education
Merve Meral İçilensu
Understanding development begins with seeing the connections.
I do not look at child development through a single lens. I believe that understanding a child’s development requires us to consider the brain, learning processes, relationships, family, and the wider environment together. After completing my degree in Child Development, I completed master’s degrees in Child Development and Education and in Neuroscience. I am currently pursuing my PhD in Child Development at Istanbul Aydın University. Through this website, I aim to translate scientific knowledge into an accessible and critical language that has meaning in everyday life.
- Undergraduate degrees
- 2
- Completed master’s degrees
- 2
- Doctorate in progress
- 1
- Developmental span
- Prenatal period – age 18
Areas of work
What I work on
Child Development & Neurodevelopment
The biological and experiential foundations of development: how the maturing brain and the child’s environment shape one another.
Executive Functions
Planning, inhibitory control and working memory — the shared subject of my master’s thesis and my neuroscience work.
Family, Relationships & Context
Approaching development not through the child alone, but within family relationships, caregivers and the wider bioecological context.
Learning & Development
The developmental ground beneath learning: what a child can learn and when, and what that means in an educational setting.
Developmental Assessment & Monitoring
Developmental inventories, attention and visual-motor perception assessments; ongoing monitoring and interpretation alongside the family.
Research & Current Literature
Evaluating scientific knowledge through a critical, evidence-based lens, and narrowing the distance between academic knowledge and practice.
Background
Education and experience
Experience
English Teacher
KALEV Schools
2024 –
Present
Child Development Specialist
Ümraniye Training and Research Hospital
2024
Clinical placement
English Teacher
Artı Sonsuz College
2020 – 2024
Alongside coordinating English language teaching and serving as primary school vice principal
English Teacher
Amerikan Kültür Derneği Preschools, Çanakkale
2017 – 2019
Education
Child Development, PhD
Istanbul Aydın University
In progress
Neuroscience, MSc
Üsküdar University
2024 – 2026
Completed · Project: “The functional neuroanatomy of executive functions in childhood”
Child Development & Education, MA
Istanbul Okan University
2023 – 2026
Completed · Thesis: “An examination of the relationship between the executive functions of 60–72-month-old children and their mothers across several variables” · full text in the Turkish National Thesis Centre
Child Development, BA
Istanbul University
2019 – 2023
International Relations, BA
University of London
2006 – 2009
Talks & Publications
Teacher Talks #89 — Speaker
INGED (English Language Educators Association)
2022
Follow the title to watch the recording
“Research on executive functions in children and adolescents in Türkiye: a scoping review”
6th International Child Development Congress
2025
Oral presentation · published in the congress proceedings
“Migration, acculturation and adaptation from a lifespan development perspective”
6th International Child Development Congress
2025
Oral presentation · published in the congress proceedings
“Developing writing skills in young people through comics”
2024 Autumn Teachers’ Symposium (ATC)
2024
Seminar
I like spending time in nature and walking, skiing, listening to music, and painting.
Blog
Latest writing
Consulting
Understanding your child’s development together
If you would like to take a more holistic look at your child’s development, behaviour, learning processes or everyday skills, and consider both their strengths and the areas in which they may benefit from support, you can get in touch for developmentally informed, evidence-based consulting.
- Child Development Assessment and Follow-up
- Attention, Planning and Everyday Skills
- Learning and Educational Development
- Child Behaviour and Parent Guidance
- Screen Use and Healthy Digital Habits
- Developmental Stages and Daily Routines
Consulting does not provide diagnosis or psychotherapy. When appropriate, families are guided toward the relevant professional field for individual assessment.
Have a question?
Write to me about education, child development, or collaboration.