Executive function is a set of mental processes that helps connect past experience with present action. People use it to perform activities such as planning, organizing, strategizing, paying attention to and remembering details, and managing time and space.
Helping Children with Executive Functioning Issues Manage BehaviorsChildren with executive functioning difficulties are often given to impulsive actions that can be challenging in social and classroom situations. Here are some strategies to help a child manage these behaviors.
If you have trouble with executive function, these things are more difficult to do. You may also show a weakness with working memory, which is like “seeing in your mind’s eye.” This is an important tool in guiding your actions.
As with other learning disabilities, problems with executive function can run in families. It can be seen at any age, but it tends to become more apparent as children move through the early elementary grades. This is when the demands of completing schoolwork independently can trigger signs of a problem with executive function.
Infographic Executive Functioning Around the Clock
eBook: Executive Functioning 101includes a clever infographic depicting a day in the life of a young boy with executive dysfunction—comic-book style!
How Does Executive Function Affect Learning in school, at home or in the workplace, we’re called on all day, every day, to self-regulate behavior? Executive function allows us to:
Make plans
Keep track of time and finish work on time
Keep track of more than one thing at once
Meaningfully include past knowledge in discussions
Evaluate ideas and reflect on our work
Change our minds and make mid-course corrections while thinking, reading and writing
Ask for help or seek more information when we need it
Engage in group dynamics
Wait to speak until we’re called on
What Are the Warning Signs of Executive Function Problems?A student may have problems with executive function when he or she has trouble:
Planning projects
Comprehending how much time a project will take to complete
Telling stories (verbally or in writing), struggling to communicate details in an organized, sequential manner
Memorizing and retrieving information from memory
Initiating activities or tasks, or generating ideas independently
Retaining information while doing something with it, for example, remembering a phone number while dialing
Executive Functioning and Learning Disabilities Teachers can promote student learning by both teaching and reinforcing the use of effective strategies Executive Skills and Your Child With Learning Disabilities As the parent of a school-age child with learning disabilities (LD), you know that basic patterns of thought such as controlling impulses, flexibility, planning, and organizing must steadily develop and improve as a child advances in school. If they don’t, children fail in small way... More >
How to Motivate a Child With Executive Dysfunction Motivation problems are often one part of executive dysfunction. Here are some proven techniques that work well for motivating any child, especially one who struggles with executive function. Praise That MotivatesDecades ago, the self-esteem movement made a wrong turn when it came to
What Are Some Strategies to Help?There are many effective strategies to help with the problem of executive function challenges. Here are some methods to try:
General Strategies
Take step-by-step approaches to work; rely on visual organizational aids.
Use tools like time organizers, computers or watches with alarms.
Prepare visual schedules and review them several times a day.
Ask for written directions with oral instructions whenever possible.
Plan and structure transition times and shifts in activities.
Managing Time
Create checklists and “to do” lists, estimating how long tasks will take.
Break long assignments into chunks and assign time frames for completing each chunk.
Use visual calendars at to keep track of long term assignments, due dates, chores and activities.
Use management software such as the Franklin Day Planner, Palm Pilot or Lotus Organizer.
Be sure to write the due date on top of each assignment.
Managing Space and Materials
Organize work space.
Minimize clutter.
Consider having separate work areas with complete sets of supplies for different activities.
Schedule a weekly time to clean and organize the work space.
Managing Work
Make a checklist for getting through assignments. For example, a student’s checklist could include such items as: get out pencil and paper; put name on paper; put due date on paper; read directions; etc.
Meet with a teacher or supervisor on a regular basis to review work; troubleshoot problems.