Isn't executive function somewhat absent by default in 4 year olds?

2 out of 3 of my kids have great EF, but the skills didn't really start taking shape i a way that was obvious to me until they were around 8-9 years old. When they were 8-9 years old, that's when I started really noticing the differences between my EF-is-intact kids vs my kid who is challenged with EF. At 4, I'd say that for the most part the EF functioning appeared very much at the same level for all three, even though ds definitely had his challenges - they just weren't as obvious as they would become once he was in school.

Best wishes,

polarbear