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What is Executive Function?

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Executive function consists of several mental skills that help the brain organize and act on information. These skills enable people to plan, organize, remember things, prioritize, pay attention and get started on tasks. However, when children have issues with EF, any task that requires planning, organization, memory, time management and flexible thinking becomes a challenge. If you have poor EF, people might mistake you for being disorganized, lazy, incompetent, sloppy, or just plain not very bright.

Components of Executive Function

  1. Attention
  2. Working Memory
  3. Inhibitory Control
  4. Cognitive Flexibility
  5. Planning Self-monitoring

How can we improve executive function skills in children?

  1. Sustaining Attention
    • Be mindful of your child’s attention span. A normal attention span is 3 to 5 minutes per year of a child’s age. Break bigger tasks into smaller ones.
    • Adjust the level of difficulty of the task progressively. Give a break after the completion of each smaller task.
  2. Improving Planning & Organisation Skills:
    • Using different graphic organisers for different purposes Following a visual schedule
    • Breaking down instructions into bite-sized information Improving Self-Monitoring Skills
  3. Programming reminders to go off at certain times Using a homework time-sheet
    • Breaking a long-term goal into short-term steps.

For more details on how you can work on these tips, attend our upcoming workshop ‘Clever but Cluttered: Developing Executive Function Skills‘.

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