Executive Function (EF)

We talk about executive functioning so frequently because it affects everything that a child (or adult) does all day, every day. We have a few disclaimers that we would like you to know when it comes to executive functioning. The first is don’t get overwhelmed. We are going to continue to break down the topic and go further into it later down the road. Our second disclaimer is that this is our list of executive function (EF) traits and how we see our students impacted by their own executive functioning. For now, we will give an overview of all the elements of executive functioning that impact our ability to function in either a positive way (using good EF skills) or a negative way (lacking in EF skills).

So what is executive function? Our definition of executive function is the ability to plan, manage, organize, and “do” your life. In other words, it is the ability to prioritize and execute. Executive functioning is not only linked to school but it can be linked to the concept of adulting, which children tend to learn about and work on as they go through school. For example, when a child is trying to memorize the periodic table of elements for a class, they are not necessarily memorizing the information because they are going into a science profession or because they are going to be using the elements for the rest of their lives.  During their process of memorizing, they are working on building skills that they will continue to use throughout their lives. Therefore, it is not all about what the material is but rather about HOW you are approaching it. The processes students go through in school, such as turning in homework and studying for tests, can be related to the adult equivalent of those process, such as paying bills and going to work. Life is all about hoop jumping. If you have a good strategy for how you are going to approach the hoop jumping then you are going to do much better off long term.

We have identified executive functioning as having seven major key points.

The Seven Key Points of Executive Functioning:

1. Organization, planning, and prioritizing: This means organizing your time and things, as well as deciding how to approach a task and in what order you are going to do things. Let’s look at how school is impacted in this key point. There are various things you need to know such as when there is a test, what needs to be studied for the test, reading all parts of an assignment as well as all parts of questions, getting assignments turned in, getting to your classes on time, managing multiple assignments simultaneously, homework: what is most important and what to start with, calendar, where your materials are, and even backpack organization.

2. Time: This involves time management and the ability to start a task, also referred to as task initiation. Getting the ball rolling can be very challenging for some students. A lot of parents will come to us and say, “My kid is lazy and they are a procrastinator.” This can be a trigger for us because children inherently want to please and do well--“laziness” is a result of something else.  We re-frame the language and make it about task initiation rather than procrastination/laziness. The student is not putting off work because they know how to do it; they are putting it off because they do not know where to start. School is impacted by time management and task initiation because it impacts how you start anything. Students struggle with task initiation in all the aspects of an assignment; writing, staying on task, not getting distracted or their own ability to recognize that they are distracted, their ability to calendar, and how they manage non preferred tasks.

3. Memory: There are three different types of memory that you should know. There is short-term memory, working memory, and long-term memory. Overall,