Some children are bright and keen, yet constantly lose things, forget instructions, miss deadlines and cannot start a task. Often the missing piece is not effort or ability but executive function, the set of mental skills that manage thinking and action.
What it is
The Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University describes executive function and self-regulation as the mental processes that let us plan, focus attention, remember instructions and juggle several tasks successfully. Understood explains that difficulty with executive function can make it hard to focus, plan, set goals, manage time and get organised, and that these skills keep developing into a person’s twenties. Children are not born with these skills; they are born with the potential to learn them, and adults can help.
Executive function difficulties are common in children with ADHD and in many children with learning differences or autism, but they are not a diagnosis in themselves. See supporting a child with ADHD in the classroom.
What it can look like
- Forgetting books, homework or what the teacher just said.
- Starting late, getting stuck at the first step, or giving up halfway.
- A messy bag or desk, and losing things.
- Underestimating how long a task takes, and rushing at the end.
- Difficulty switching from one activity to the next.
Teaching the skills, step by step
- Break big tasks into small steps, and put the dates on a calendar so that the child can see time passing.
- Give a plan to follow. Checklists, graphic organisers and simple visuals give the child something to hold on to. See visual schedules.
- Use timers. A timer makes time visible. Let the child guess how long a task will take, then check, so that their sense of time improves.
- Think aloud. Say what you are doing: “First I will pack my bag, then I will check the timetable.” Children learn the skill by hearing it.
- Build routines for mornings, homework and bedtime, so that the child does not have to plan from scratch every day.
- Set a weekly tidy-up time for the bag and desk.
- Fade your help gradually. Support the child fully at first, then step back as they manage more by themselves.
Ideas to try
A morning checklist. Four to six pictures or words by the door: wash, dress, eat, pack bag, shoes. A backpack list for each day of the week. A homework plan with start time, steps and a finish time. For more, see homework and study routines.
For teachers
- Give instructions one at a time, and write them on the board.
- Share a checklist for multi-step tasks and projects.
- Give interim deadlines for long assignments.
- Teach organisation directly instead of assuming it. A few minutes at the end of the day for packing the bag helps.
- Use a daily report card for one or two organisation goals.
Ask for the strategies to be written into the IEP. See how to write measurable IEP goals.
Sources
- Understood, Understanding executive function challenges in your child.
- Center on the Developing Child, Harvard University, executive function and self-regulation.
This guide is general information, not legal, medical or professional advice. If something here does not match your situation, please speak to a qualified professional.