Executive Function Explained

Executive Functioning is a term that is increasingly common in education circles and for good reason. However, even with its newfound awareness in social and educational circles, Executive Function remains mysterious to most parents and teachers. Executive Functioning (EF) skills refer to cognitive processes that enable individuals to effectively plan, organize, prioritize, initiate, sustain, and monitor their behavior. According to the Harvard Center for the Developing Child, "executive function skills are like an air traffic control system in the brain—they help us manage information, make decisions, and plan ahead."

EF skills are critical for academic success as they enable students to manage their time, prioritize tasks, set goals, and regulate their emotions and behavior. Students with strong EF skills are better equipped to adapt to changing situations, make responsible decisions, and solve problems effectively. The good news is that EF skills are teachable, and students can improve their EF abilities with practice, habits, and coaching. By explicitly teaching students strategies to manage their time, organize information, set goals, and regulate their behavior, educators can help students develop the EF skills they need to succeed in school and beyond. That’s our goal here at Illuminos.

Executive Functioning skills are especially important for students with learning differences such as ADD, ADHD, Dyslexia, and Processing Challenges. While neurotypical students spend their time in class figuring out subject-matter knowledge, neurodivergent students often struggle with the processes that make subject-matter knowledge possible. For these students, it’s not the ‘what’ of learning that is difficult; it’s the ‘how’ – the EF skills that students are expected to develop as they matriculate through school. 

In the following sections, we will take a closer look at the pillars of EF. Then, we will discuss how a student’s EF skills must adapt over time. Lastly, we will explain how you, as a parent, can help improve your child’s EF skills. 

The Pillars of Executive Functioning

At Illuminos, we divide EF skills into four sections – what we call the pillars of student success. While all these skills are vital for long-term growth, the sections below have a cumulative component. Students who master organization and time management can better implement learning strategies to reach their goals. Likewise, students who master the learning process need impression management skills to truly reach their potential. Our unique EF coaching program helps students develop in all four pillars of EF. 

Organization

Organization involves keeping track of materials, prioritizing tasks, and maintaining a clean and productive workspace. This component of EF requires diligent adherence to systems from lockers to study spaces to binders. Parents, teachers, and academic coaches can help their children by modeling organization at home and providing tools such as color-coded folders, calendars, and checklists. They can also encourage their child to develop routines and set aside time each day for organizing their materials and tasks.

Time Management

Time Management involves using a planner effectively, prioritizing tasks, and planning for homework, assessments, projects, and papers. It is critical for achieving a healthy school-life balance, but students may encounter obstacles such as procrastination, distractions, and unrealistic expectations. Teaching students how to use a planner and encouraging them to break down large tasks into smaller, manageable steps ensures their goals align with their report cards. 

Study Skills

Study Skills involve effective reading, writing, note-taking, maximizing retention, and test-taking with confidence across all subject areas. However, students may face obstacles such as poor reading comprehension, lack of motivation, and test anxiety. Parents can help students by encouraging them to practice active reading techniques, such as highlighting and summarizing and providing a distraction-free study environment. They can also help their child break down complex concepts into manageable parts and encourage them to ask questions and seek help when needed.

Impression Management

We believe traditional intelligence (IQ) is important to a point, but emotional intelligence (EQ) is the edge students need to perform at their best! Impression management is the art of managing the impressions students leave on teachers, parents, and peers. Long-term success is about much more than grades and test scores. This component of our curriculum is the missing ingredient for many students. Developing self-awareness, self-efficacy, and self-confidence creates opportunities for self-advocacy and social capital.

Executive Functioning Skills and School Demands Change over Time

As students progress through their academic careers, their Executive Functioning (EF) skills continue to develop and change. From elementary school to college and beyond, students acquire the skills necessary to plan, organize, and self-regulate. Let’s take a closer look at how EF skills change over time. In the elementary school years, students begin to develop basic EF skills. They learn to identify future events, work towards predetermined goals, and consider the steps required to complete simple tasks. Students also begin to develop basic control of emotions, impulses, and attention. The ability to pay attention to teachers during class time, follow short, uncomplicated series of directions, develop primary control over behavior and impulses, and regulate themselves to follow rules are vital in these early years.

By middle school, students become more independent and able to identify problems and solve them with limited adult support. Students are expected to concentrate for longer periods and to manage larger workloads. Students who struggle to meet these expectations often require adult support to jumpstart their EF skills development. As students matriculate to high school, they are expected to manage complex school and extracurricular schedules and complete asynchronous projects while facing a significant increase in both freedom and responsibility. This is when many students’ EF skills deficiencies come to light. 

There is typically a significant increase in expectations and a significant decrease in oversight during high school. Students must develop self-assessment skills to ensure that these changes result in personal growth rather than trouble. By the time students begin college, they are expected to have mastered many EF skills, even though the brain region responsible for these skills is not fully developed until well into a person’s twenties. 

How We Help Children Develop Executive Functioning Skills

We provide in-home, one-on-one academic coaching and tutoring services for students starting in elementary school. We teach students Executive Functioning skills while supporting their homework and subject matter needs. Our flagship research-based Executive Function (EF) curriculum can help your child succeed through our emphasis on emotional intelligence. We help empower students with Executive Functioning tools to be more responsible, invested, and rewarded for success. We provide structure, motivation, and accountability.

Contact us today to learn more about how we can help your child develop Executive Functioning skills and succeed academically and in life. For more information on Executive Function, please visit our services page or read our other posts.