Executive Function is a constellation of brain processes that allow people to plan, organize, make decisions, pay attention, and regulate their behavior. It affects all aspects of a student’s life in school and outside of school. Executive functioning problems can stand alone, but are always present in children who have ADD and ADHD. A child who struggles with executive functioning may be at a loss when given a series of instructions such as: get out of bed, get dressed, brush your teeth, and come down for breakfast. The same child may arrive at school and drop their coat and backpack on the floor despite having been told many times the procedure for organizing their things.
It’s important to remember that Executive Function struggles are not simply a matter of “not thinking something through” or “being sloppy.”
What is Executive Function?
Executive function is the brain’s management system. Difficulties in this area are often linked with ADHD. Executive function skills involve challenges with:
Planning and Prioritization. Foreseeing tasks, ordering steps logically.
Organization. Managing materials and thoughts.
Initiation and Task Completion. Starting and finishing activities, switching between them.
Self-Regulation. Managing emotions and impulses, self-monitoring.
How Executive Function Struggles Show Up in School
Difficulties with executive function can manifest in various ways within the school environment.
Task Initiation: Students may struggle to start assignments, even when they understand the material.
Organization: Students might have messy desks, lose papers, and have difficulty keeping track of belongings or following multi-step directions.
Task Switching: Students may face challenges shifting between different subjects or activities.
Time Management: Students might frequently miss deadlines or underestimate how long tasks will take.
Emotional Regulation: Students may experience frustration or meltdowns when facing obstacles.
How We Support Students with Executive Function Struggles in School
Effective strategies provide structure, support, and explicit instruction in these skills.
Planning and Prioritization: Explicitly teach goal setting and how to break down large assignments to help reduce cognitive load. Use visual planners and organizers.
Organization: Model and practice organizational systems for materials and digital files. Provide checklists and labeled bins.
Maintain a Regular Schedule/Structure: Visually display a detailed daily schedule and refer to it throughout the day.
Task Initiation and Completion: Break tasks into smaller steps. Use visual timers and prompts to start and finish activities.
Task Switching: Provide clear signals for transitions and allow extra processing time.
Self-Regulation: Teach self-monitoring strategies and coping mechanisms for frustration.
Visualization: Modeling how a completed task looks or how a student might look when a task is completed.
How You Can Support your Child’s Executive Function Struggles at Home
Remind yourself that executive function is not something a child can easily manage independently. Organizing, starting and stopping, and monitoring typical activities and frustration can be exhausting.
Families play a vital role in supporting their child’s executive function development at home.
Develop predictable daily schedules to provide structure.
Create visual schedules, to-do lists, and checklists; break down and make tasks concrete and easier to follow.
Designate places for belongings to help with organization and reduce searching.
Use timers to aid time management.
Collaboratively identify problems and brainstorm solutions to build cognitive flexibility.
Play strategy, memory, and sequencing games to help strengthen these abilities.
Mary McDowell Friends School is a K-12 college preparatory school designed to meet the unique needs of students diagnosed with learning disabilities. Our students have average to above-average intellectual abilities but require a small, specialized learning environment to reach their full potential.Learn more about our approach to educating students with learning disabilities here. You can also schedule a parent information session or contact our admission team.
