What is Executive Functioning and how do you strengthen it?

Every moment of every day we engage our Executive Functioning Skills. But what exactly are Executive Functioning Skills? How do they impact our daily lives? And, most importantly, how can we strengthen them to achieve success? This post will answer these questions and more!

What are Executive Functioning Skills?

Executive Functioning Skills (EF) are a complex set of processes located in the prefrontal cortex of the brain that allow us to reflect, stay present, and plan for the future. The following skills fall under the umbrella term of Executive Functioning: attention, focus, metacognition, time awareness, time management, organization, task initiation, inhibition, planning, sequencing, emotion regulation, cognitive flexibility, and working memory. In a nutshell, EF skills get things done. 

How do EF Skills impact everyday life?

Much research suggests that diagnoses such as ADD, ADHD, Autism, Learning Disabilities, and Behavioral Disorders coincide with weakened EF skills. Moreover, “While EF is not academic in nature, it is estimated that it can impact school performance by 25% or more.” (Adams, 2020).  Children with weakened EF skills need explicit support that directly targets their disorganized internal system. Without targeted interventions and support, they may develop poor self-esteem and receive negative feedback at school and in social situations. 

How can EF skills be strengthened?

Here at Your Learning Toolbox, we provide an individualized, diagnostic approach to strengthen the targeted Executive Functioning Skills that highly impact everyday functioning. Utilizing a variety of materials, books, and apps, we blend the perfect concoction of supports to help your child skill build in order to feel empowered and confident to tackle everyday challenges. At the core, we help your child develop strong life skills and add to their personal toolbox to achieve success every single day. 

Our Process: Every child is different; therefore, we take the time to listen, observe, and think critically about the presenting needs of your child. We then teach and empower our clients to utilize their toolbox in everyday life, strengthening their Executive Functioning Skills and boosting their self-confidence. Examples of some of the EF skills we help support are:

• Time Management
• Homework/School Assignment planning, completion, and reflection 
• Household chores/routines
• Improving frustration tolerance
• Developing systems of organization relating to schoolwork as well as household maintenance
• Metacognition (i.e., thinking about thinking)
• Attention and focusing

At YLT, empowering our students and families is paramount. We seek to build skills and develop habits that will stick with your child for a lifetime. If you are interested in hearing more about our services or have questions regarding Executive Functioning Skills, we are here to help!

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Written by our founder, Emmy Mlawer Hollenberg, who is a certified Executive Functioning Consultant by the Sensational Brain LLC.*

Citations:

Adams, L. (2020). Introduction to Executive Functioning Skills in Children and Teens [Webinar]. Sensational Brain LLC. https://sensationalbrain.com/