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What is Executive Function Skills?
It is a set of mental skills that help you accomplish daily tasks independently. These skills are controlled by an area of the brain called the frontal lobe which then interacts with other parts of the brain. Executive Function Skills also affects behavior because it's affects impulse control. Below is a chart that can help you evaluate you child's executive function skills at an age appropriate level.
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Executive Function Skills are life long skills children need to develop to manage information without being distracted or letting it impact their self-regulation. If their Executive Functions Skills are weak, behavior can increase and get in the way of learning. For those students who are unable to progress without teaching methods that don't take their Executive Function challenges into consideration, they may be incorrectly classed as more profoundly or severely autistic. A child might be intelligent but receive low score because their have an underdeveloped EF. When their EF is improved, they can begin to show their abilities.
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This video from Harvard University explains how important these skills are throughout child development.
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Some children exhibit more obvious signs of Executive Function Skill deficits while others begin struggling when they start school.
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There are 8 Key Functions and examples of how they may struggle:
1. Impulse Control -Kids often blurt out inappropriate things and/or engage in risky behavior.
2. Emotional Control-Often overreact, have trouble with criticism, handle frustrations and struggle with regrouping when something goes wrong.
3. Flexible Thinking-not adjusting to the unexpected.
4. Working Memory or planning/following multi-step directions-trouble remembering directions
5. Self-monitoring-surprised by negative feedback due to not evaluating how they are doing.
6. Planning & Prioritizing-may not know what parts of the project are most important or to start first.
7. Staying on track
8. Task Initiation-may freeze not knowing where to begin
9.. Organization-can lose their train of thought, their phone or other everyday things.
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Fortunately, Executive Function Skills can be taught and practiced at home and the community. They can be included as goals in IEP's and applied to school related tasks. The most effective approach is a skill that is practiced across the board.
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Support for Students with Executive Functioning Deficits is a 45 minute video by Barbara Haas-Givler, is a board certified behavior analyst and Director of Education & Behavioral Outreach at Geisinger’s Autism & Developmental Medicine Institute. It goes into detail of of the barriers in the classroom and ideas of specifically addressing those barriers for Executive Function challenges for the child to be more successful.
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Make some IEP Goals Around Safety
Dr. Amanda Adams, Director the Central California Autism Center shares how her center has been able to use Skills® to further strengthen Executive Function Skills for the classroom environment.
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To learn more about the Skills® program, click on https://www.skillsforautism.com/.
​Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/skillsforautism
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7 Systems that Work for Out of the Box Thinkers includes some useful tips for teachers to implement with their students to support executive function skills.
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Recommended books:
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Local Providers
Dr. Abel Gonzalez, MD
Where: 2299 Brodhead Road, Suite N, Bethlehem, PA 18020
Call: 610-882-2052
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Center for Educational Services
Executive Functioning Coaching
Where: Rosemont Plaza, Suite 1,1062 East Lancaster Avenue, Bryn Mawr PA 19010
Call: (610) 642-4056
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Lear Educational Center
Where: 1901 Hay Terrace, Easton, Pa 18042
Call: 610-252-0965
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