We use executive functioning skills every day to learn, work, and manage daily life. Difficulty with executive function can make it hard to focus, follow directions, and handle emotions.

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Executive Functions are a set of cognitive skills that include:

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• Working Memory

• Flexible Thinking

• Inhibitory control

 

Executive functions are responsible for many skills including:

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• Paying attention

• Organising, planning, and prioritising

• Starting tasks and staying focused on them to completion

• Understanding different points of view

• Regulating emotions

• Self-monitoring (keeping track of what you’re doing)

 

Learners struggling with executive skills may:

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• Have trouble starting and/or completing tasks

• Have difficulty prioritising tasks

• Forget what they just heard or read

• Have trouble following directions or a sequence of steps

• Panic when rules or routines change

• Have trouble switching focus from one task to another

• Get overly emotional and fixate on things

• Have trouble organising their thoughts

• Have trouble keeping track of their belongings

• Have trouble managing their time

 

How to help support executive functioning:

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• Decluttering the work space

• Providing visual supports

• Breaking tasks into achievable chunks

• Providing scaffolded task

• Offer regular breaks

• Praise and reward

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Supporting executive function allows learners to effectively plan, organize, prioritize tasks, manage time efficiently, regulate their emotions, and persist in completing tasks despite challenges. It helps them achieve academic success, develop independence, and navigate daily responsibilities more effectively.