Executive Function: Developing Superpowers For Life

It’s hard to believe that summer is already winding down and fall is fast approaching! As the seasons change, our students start preparing for the next steps on their educational journey. Some are excited, but many others are anxious as they begin to think about what success looks like and how they can achieve their goals.

There may not be a hotter buzz word than the term “executive function skills.” But what exactly is executive function, and are there ways to develop this complex and integrated set of skills?

In its simplest form, executive function is a person’s ability to plan, organize and execute in an efficient manner. One helpful analogy for our brain’s executive function skills is the job of air traffic controller. Air traffic controllers are responsible for the safe, coordinated movement of all aircraft on the ground and in the air. Their duties include directing aircraft, providing information, responding to emergencies, transferring control, and analyzing data. Our brain’s frontal lobe functions in many of the same ways as we work, plan and adjust to the daily tasks of life. This sounds complex, but don’t worry – executive function is a skill that develops throughout our lifetime. In other words, get comfortable, because we’ll be working on these skills well into adulthood.

So, how do we come alongside our students to help them build greater capacity to plan and execute efficiently? According to famous clinical neuropsychologist Russell Barkley, to develop strong executive function skills, individuals “need to repeatedly practice self-monitoring, self-stopping, seeing the future, saying the future, feeling the future, and playing with the future so as to effectively ‘plan and go’ toward that future.” When truly contemplating Russell’s quote, we begin to see why our basic “checklists” don’t quite meet the mark. However, here are some strategies that can be more effective for your developing students:

Create Mental Imagery

Instead of using concrete directions, try using words that help build your student’s mental imagery. For example, instead of saying, “Turn in your math homework tomorrow,” try something like, “Put your math homework in your blue folder. When you get to Mrs. Phillips’ classroom, take it out of your backpack and place it on your desk. It will probably only be five minutes until she asks you to take it out.” Children with strong executive function skills can plan a “dry run” of a task in their mind. Our language can help them visualize these tasks.

Use Visual Supports

So often, as parents, we hear ourselves saying, “Why aren’t you ready? What’s taking so long?” We can fail to realize that our kids don’t understand what “ready” looks like. Take pictures of your student being ready for school, ready for homework, or ready for bed. Then, in a calmer moment, proactively show them what being “ready” looks like.

Estimate and Show the Sweep of Time

Remember those days when we had analog clocks? Grab an analog clock and some expo markers to show them the sweep of time. Before starting an activity, talk about the steps required and estimate the amount of time each step takes. Then, shade in the time needed on the clock. Now, you’re ready to start! The clock helps anchor them during their work. You can use the clock to help them decide if they need to work faster or if they can slow down and take more time.

There’s no real one-stop shop for building strong executive function skills. However, it’s never a waste of time to work on developing forethought, self-reflection and adaptability. These are superpowers that last a lifetime.

Michael Molinaro owns and operates Peake Speech Therapy & Consulting. For more information, contact him at molinaro@peakespeechtherapy.com or 240-702-3251.