Executive function is the management system of the brain.
When you hear the word executive, you usually think about a controlling power or someone in a managerial position… a leader.
What are executive functioning skills?
Executive functioning skills are necessary life skills and are the foundation for many learning skills. They combine the cognitive, communication, sensory, and motor skills we have developed over time to become successful adults.
They are very important mental abilities that form the basis for planning, organizing, initiating and following through all tasks, assignments, and problems both inside and outside of school. They allow us to set goals and get things done.
Starting at a very young age, children use these skills to conduct daily activities, from playing to socializing and learning, but they become of vital importance once they reach school age. We use executive functioning skills in just about every aspect of our daily lives.
Many psychologists and child developmental professionals believe that there is some genetic predisposition or innate capacity to develop behaviors related to executive functioning.
Executive functioning involves three major types of brain functions:
- Working memory
- This is the ability to hold and process information over short periods of time.
- Mental or cognitive flexibility
- This enables someone to adapt and respond to changing conditions, as well as analyze situations in different ways.
- Inhibition or self-control
- This skill allows a person to set priorities and curb impulsive behavior.
These three categories can be expanded into many other skills which include:
- Planning and Prioritizing
- Organization
- Time Management
- Task Initiation
- Working Memory
- Metacognition
- Self-control / Self-regulation
- Attention
- Perseverance / Goal-directed persistence
- Flexibility
How executive functioning skills develop
Children are not born with these skills but usually develop them quickly in early childhood and strengthen them as they grow into the teen years. They keep maturing into their mid-20s.
If a child is struggling with these skills, they can be taught and it is important that children learn them as early as possible.
Young children practice these skills in their play activities. As they grow, their responsibilities increase at home and at school. The adults in their lives provide environmental learning by giving feedback when they practice these skills. Thus, they can improve, daily.
Differences in brain development may contribute to executive dysfunction. Many times, these core mental skills are at the foundation of children’s academic challenges. Studies have found that the areas in the brain that are responsible for working memory and emotional control develop more slowly in children who struggle to learn.
It is common for children identified with characteristics of dyslexia and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) to have trouble with executive functioning skills.
What are the signs of executive dysfunction?
According to The National Center for Learning Disabilities, your child has underdeveloped executive functioning skills if she:
- Is easily distracted and requires plenty of reminders or prompts to stay on task
- Struggles with setting goals
- Has trouble identifying a starting point in tasks and often procrastinates
- Struggles to understand the amount of time required to complete a task or project
- Has difficulty focusing on both details and the big picture
- Takes longer than peers to finish tasks or homework
- Has problem checking and assessing their own work
- Has trouble following multi-step directions
Executive functioning skills are influenced not only by one’s genetics but also by life experience. Challenges with these core skills can significantly impact a child’s school experience. She will struggle to sustain the behaviors and expectations for normally developing milestones.
The good news is that it is possible to overcome these problems. There are many different tools, checklists, and workbooks available to evaluate and create goals around executive functioning skills. With extensive practice to strengthen these skills, children can be equipped to more easily navigate, and even eliminate their challenges in school.
Which executive functioning skill do you or your child struggle with?
Florence, thanks for another powerful article. At 68, my brain is now the clearest and most effective it has ever been. It likes to think about many things at once. But when I need to sit down to a task like paying a bill, if my brain starts trying to think of many things at once, I say nicely: “focus”. That really helps. I’ve wondered about my brain for many years; had a concussion at about 19.
I’m also in my sixties, Kebba, and like you, I think I’m in better health than I was in my thirties. Knowledge of what contributes to health and wellness and the desire to treat one’s body as God’s temple does make a big difference in one’s choices. I learned to direct my brain by saying, “do it now,” and “focus” from Brian Tracy. So when my very active mind wants to wander off when I need to finish a specific task, I firmly direct it. Living a conscious life and being deliberate about my thoughts and actions go a great way towards increasing my productivity.
Once again great information. Thank you.
Thanks, Heidi.
I struggle with a variety of executive functioning skills, mostly related to attention. The one that I struggle with the most is probably following multi-step directions. Too many directions at once, given verbally, makes Alice a very confused human. I tend to remember the beginning and ending directions but the rest just vanishes, never to be heard from again.
You’re not alone in your struggle, Alice. Attention is perhaps the executive functioning skill that people struggle with the most. For children in school, this could have devastating results. Fortunately, they are ways to improve one’s attention.