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Using Vygotsky's verbal mediation framework, we hypothesised that verbal development would be more strongly associated with executive function than non-verbal development in populations with developmental disabilities with distinct verbal/non-verbal profiles. We used correlational analyses to explore the developmental relationship between verbal and non-verbal development and the executive function components of cognitive flexibility and working memory among persons with Down syndrome and those with Williams syndrome. We found that verbal development was uniquely correlated with cognitive flexibility and working memory in both groups. We conclude that verbal development is a better predictor of both cognitive flexibility and working memory independent of non-verbal development in persons with Down syndrome and Williams syndrome.