October 11, 2021

You may hear this term often and we hope the following clarifies your understanding. Executive function skills are critical for all of us; they are a group of skills that we use every day in order to accomplish necessary tasks and enjoy life. They include but are not limited to:

Planning and Prioritizing ⁠ 

Have a goal in mind, design a plan of action, figure out⁠ what is most important and prioritize⁠ ⁠

Organizing

⁠Once you have a plan organize it, sort through and arrange⁠ information in a system that works for you⁠

Flexible Thinking ⁠

The ability to shift and apply different problem-solving ⁠ approaches, revise plans when an approach is not working ⁠

Working Memory

Holding and manipulating information in mind, you have to ⁠comprehend and remember information in order to ⁠ execute your plan

Self-Monitoring⁠

Think about what you are doing, am I making progress, how much time have I spent⁠ ⁠

Attentional Control

Being focused on a task and staying on task, knowing when⁠ your focus shifts⁠ ⁠

Impulse Control

To think before you act, to resist saying or doing something⁠ that will take you off task⁠ ⁠

Emotional Control

The ability to manage your emotions so that you can access your abilities and achieve your goals⁠

Goal Directed Persistence

The drive to finish what you start, follow your goal to ⁠ completion, the ability to push through setbacks⁠

Executive functioning is a broad set of self-directed skills that impact all aspects of our lives. Executive function challenges are often seen at home, in the classroom and at work. Executive function difficulties can arise from weaknesses in any of these skills, which impact goal ⁠directed behavior. It’s important to understand and ⁠address these deficits early so that they do not become roadblocks to success.