What are Executive Functioning Skills?

Executive Functioning is an umbrella term that covers many skills that are the ‘doing’ or action skills. They are the skills that require you to get things done. These skills include anticipating, generating, initiating, and monitoring. Notice that learning is not in this list.  This is not the ability to learn but the ability to demonstrate what you have learned.

 

​

​

  What might Executive Dysfunction look like?

There are as many examples of this as there are people but here are some common ones:

• Run late, turning in work past due date

• Trouble processing the passage of time so waiting for last minute for huge projects

• Not knowing where to start on projects/assignments

• Cannot clean your room and/or keep it clean

• Regularly forgetting and/or losing personal belongings

• Struggling to follow directions, especially multiple step directions - "in on ear and out the other." 

• Struggling with emotions - quick to anger; quick to cy; etc.

• Easily distracted 

 

 

 

             How can you improve Executive Functioning Skills?

Consistency is the key! By helping you learn specific skills and providing external supports to support weak internal structures, anyone can improve their executive functioning skills.

​

​

​

      Are there diagnoses that co-exist with Executive Dysfunction?

Absolutely!  The most common is ADHD.  If someone has ADHD you can be assured that they have trouble with executive functioning.  In addition, many people with autism, dyslexia, learning delays, mood disorders, traumatic brain injuries, as well as generalized anxiety may have weak executive functioning skills.  This is not an inclusive list by any means.  Even those who are AIG (academically and intellectually gifted) can also have weak executive functioning skills.

​

​

 

          At what age do you start working with children?

Executive Functioning Skills start to develop in infancy.  When babies start to play peek-a-boo or learn that they get what they want when they cry, or even to wait to get what they want - these are all executive functioning skills.  There is no age that is too early to work on executive functioning skills!  In fact, multiple studies report that a child's core Executive Functioning skills and self-regulation at the end of kindergarten are a stronger predictor of school success than IQ or socio-economic standing! 

 

 

 
               Can adults improve their Executive Functioning Skills?

Absolutely!  Anyone can improve their executive functioning skills at any age!  Many of the same tips and techniques that help children can also help adults.  The key is to figure out what you would need to be successful and start there.  Adults often want to start where they want to be and not where they are and then get frustrated and give up.  However, if you figure out what you need to be successful and stick with it, you will notice in time that you need less and less external supports.  

​

​

     Why not focus on academics in therapy?

Executive Functioning skills are those that are used throughout everything in everyday life. If you are reaching out to me for help - most likely you are quite frustrated as if your child. In order to help you both, we need buy-in from not just the parents but the child as well. Therefore, we are going to start with something that the child has a vested interest in. By teaching skills in that area, in an area that the child wants to do better in and isn’t frustrated in, the child will make quicker and easier gains. It is much easier after the skills are learned to transfer them over to academic areas.  My focus is helping your child learn skills, not on academic context.

​