Executive Function is defined as, the group of complex mental processes and cognitive abilities (such as working memory, impulse inhibition, and reasoning) that control the skills (such as organizing tasks, remembering details, managing time, and solving problems) required for goal-directed behavior. – Merriam-Webster Dictionary.
In other words, it is a set of thinking skills that we develop over time to allow us to control our behavior and attain our goals. The frontal lobe, more specifically our prefrontal cortex, is the area of the brain where our executive function skills reside. And, this area of our brain is not fully developed until our third decade of life. So, this means that the development of executive function skills is a slow process that takes years and years to occur.
Let’s take a deeper look that some of these important executive function skills and some simple ways to help your kids develop them:
- Working Memory: This is our brain’s ability to hold on to information for a short period of time and manipulate this information. For example, holding onto the information that was shared during a conversation so you can respond to it. Or, remembering what our teacher is saying as we take notes in class.
- Emotional Control: This is our ability to control our emotions so that we can complete a task or achieve a goal. As infants, we do not have any control over our emotions. We rely on adults to help us control them. As we grow and develop we gain more and more control over our emotions. This allows us to stay calm when we are worried or nervous or no longer have a temper tantrum in line at the grocery store when mom refuses to buy us that candy bar.
- Impulse Control/Inhibition: This skill involves controlling or inhibiting our impulses or behaviors in order to complete a task or achieve a goal. For a younger child. the goal might be finding a toy truck, so he/she has to resist and ignore all of the other toys in the room. For an older child, it might be resisting the urge to blurt out the answer in class and wait to be called on. For an adult, it might be resisting that chocolate cake when you have a goal of weight loss.
- Attention: This one is pretty self-explanatory. The ability to focus on the task at hand is. However, age and development have to be considered when attention expectations are placed on a child. There are lots of different tables and formulas out there to establish an expected time frame for attention based on age, but the one that I found that is most consistent with what I have seen in my practice is 2-3 for each year of age. I also think that we have to consider how interesting and novel the task is when we determine attention span. Children will be much more engaged and pay more attention to a new toy than cleaning their room.
- Planning: Planning involves setting a goal and creating a plan or path to reach it. It also involves prioritizing which tasks need to be done right now and which can wait.
- Time Management: Time management involves understanding how long it takes to complete a task and then using your time appropriately so that you can actually complete it. Time management requires us to balance the things we want to do with the things we need to do to reach our goals.
- Task Initiation: This skill is simply the ability to start a task. Often task initiation is the most difficult part of task completion.
- Organization: This skill involves having a system that allows you to keep track of your belongings and important items or information. In order to remain organized, your organization system must be used with consistency.
- Problem Solving: This is our ability to recognize and problem and then create a solution to fix it.
- Flexibility: Flexibility is also known as shift. Flexibility is our ability to move between tasks and activities and deal with unexpected situations.
- Metacognition: This is our highest level and most complex executive function skill. Metacognition is our ability to look at our own thought processes, actions, and behaviors and evaluate their effectiveness. We can then use this information to make decisions about future behavior.
There are many games and activities that we can do with our kids to help them develop their executive function skills. Let’s look at a few:
- Board Games: Games like Chutes and Ladders, Candy Land, and Trouble are great for developing skills like Emotional Control (not getting upset when someone else wins), Impulse Control/Inhibition (waiting your turn), Attention (staying focused on the game), and Problem Solving (figure out how to win)
- Card Games like Uno, Memory and Go Fish and action games like Simon Says are great for working memory as they require you to remember where the cards are and what your opponent has and attention.
- Puzzles are another great tool, especially for younger kids that might not be able to play a board game. They work on Emotional Control (not getting frustrated when you can’t get the piece to fit correctly), Attention, and problem solving.
- There are lots of ways to work on planning, time management, task initiation and organization skills with kids. I will admit that this is an area I find fun and interesting.
- Planning and time management can start with something as simple as a family calendar on the refrigerator that you check each day with your child to see what’s going on.
- When they start school teaching them to use a planner for all their assignments and homework is really important.
- As they get older and have more responsibilities and things to keep up with there are lots of great apps and technology that you can try. In a few weeks I will have an entire video on some of the tools that I think work best for this.
- Organization requires some consistency and follow through, but the long term benefits outweigh the effort. Spending time creating a system that you kids can follow to keep track of their belonging is important. Using picture labels and clear containers are the easiest way to teach them to put things back. And having simple routines to start and end the day are important too.
- With these more complex tasks, using a scaffolding approach is very effective. And scaffolding in its simplest terms means providing a lot of support in the beginning as the child learns the task. But the more proficient they become, the less and less support is provided until they are independent.
As you would expect, there are numerous conditions that impact the ability of our front lobe to develop and perform executive functions such as ADHD and Autism Spectrum Disorder. In next week’s video we are going to take a deeper dive into ADHD and explore the condition and ways to help kids with ADHD improve their executive function skills.
What are your favorite activities to work on executive function skills? Let me know in the comments below. I would love to hear about them!
Thanks so much for stopping by today. I hope you have an amazing week!
-Heather
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