What is Executive Functioning?
Executive functions are a set of skills, mental processes that help us concentrate, plan, prioritize,organize and complete tasks.
Although there is a direct correlation between executive functioning and academic performance, executive dysfunction may also impact one’s overall life functions such as daily living skills, job opportunities, and social/emotional connections. Executive Functioning requires both the skills that involve thinking, or cognition, and skills that involve doing, or behavior. Having the knowledge of what one must do to be successful academically and in life functions but not knowing how to apply this knowledge is an example of executive dysfunction.
When students have challenges with executive functions their ability to remember information, store information, recall information and manage learning can negatively impact reading, writing and mathematical success. Direct, explicit instruction is provided in all areas of executive functioning to reinforce consistent routines and strategies. Due to neuroplasticity, the brain has the ability to change, adapt and form new connections and with explicit and direct training one can boost their executive function skills.
Executive Functioning Support
Executive functioning deficits often manifest themselves in academic tasks such as reading comprehension, written expression, and test taking. Those who struggle with executive functioning weaknesses often have a hard time with drawing on their prior knowledge as they read. In addition, these individuals can often have difficulty with interpreting words, drawing inferences, and processing essential information. Another area of difficulty these individuals face is knowing how to prioritize which parts of a text are useful for a given assignment. These particular areas are difficult for those with EF deficits because writing requires students to plan, engage in flexible thinking (paraphrasing the topic), organize, prioritize, and utilize text sources. Students with EF deficits may also be poor test-takers. This is often due to the fact that they are unable to prioritize which information to study when preparing for a test. Once they begin a test, they are often unable to prioritize tasks, plan responses, or monitor their time.
At Effective Educational and Therapeutic Services, we utilize our special education and clinical backgrounds to develop an individualized approach to best support our clients with various learning struggles.
What are the eight
Executive Functioning
skills?
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Inhibition
The ability to stop your behavior at the right time. The opposite of inhibition is impulsivity. If you have weak inhibition, you have poor impulse control. Someone with poor impulse control is often told that he/she needs to think before they act.
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Shift
The ability to flexibly move from one situation to another. Those that are often told that they are rigid thinkers and struggle with transitions have weaknesses in this area.
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Emotional Control
The ability to regulate one's emotions. Those that struggle with emotional control seem to have extreme reactions and can present as moody. These children often need a break, or time to calm down before they are able to have a rational conversation about what upset them.
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Task Initiation
The ability to start a task or activity independently. Children who have a hard time sitting down and starting their homework or getting to work when the teacher asks them to work on their own have weaknesses in this area.
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Working Memory
The ability to keep information in your head in order to complete a task. Those that struggle in this area often forget what they are doing mid-task, preventing them from finishing what they are doing.
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Planning & Organization
The ability to think about the steps necessary to get something done. This is comparable to the "recipe" in your head to make a meal. Those that struggle in this area need directions and long term assignments to be broken into small steps.
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Organization of Materials
The ability to order and arrange materials in a way that they are easy to find when necessary. Those that struggle in this area usually have very messy book bags and can't find the work they need to do or turn in.
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Self-Monitoring
The ability to step back and observe one's actions to make sure he/she is on track to do what is necessary to complete a task. For example, if you only have one hour to complete a paper, you are watching the time to make sure it's about halfway done after 30 minutes. Those that struggle in this area have a hard time understanding how long assignments will take and don’t realize when they get off task.
How are executive functioning and social skills related?
Research states that some EF skills (inhibition, shifting, emotional control) are related to the social skill, theory of mind. Theory of mind is the ability to understand that others have beliefs and thoughts other than our own. Those with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), have a hard time with this, which is why these individuals need training with perspective taking. Evidence shows that EF and social skills are related. Those with stronger EF skills often have stronger social skills and visa versa. Think about it, someone with poor EF skills may have poor impulse control, not be able to understand someone else’s perspective, can have extreme mood swings, and not be able to adjust their behavior to their current audience. This type of person can be difficult to be around and have a hard time initiating and maintaining friendships. Explicit social skills training helps these individuals learn the skills that do not come automatically to them.
How are executive functioning and counseling related?
We take mental health counseling from an academic perspective. Many students with anxiety, depression, ADHD, or those on the Autism Spectrum, struggle in school either academically, socially, or both. We believe that these symptoms can not truly be treated without understanding how one processes both academic and social information. The way one feels about him/herself as a member within his/her school community has a strong correlation to one’s self-worth. We therefore believe that it is significantly more effective to tackle a student’s academic and social emotional struggles simultaneously as neither occur in a vacuum.