Executive Functioning Skills and How Can It Improve My Child’s Education

 

What are executive functioning skills? It is first important to understand what it means to have “good” executive functioning skills to find the answer. People with good executive functioning skills can make plans and follow through on them. They also do not procrastinate when faced with a task — no matter how much they want — and tend to get things done.

What Are Executive Functioning Skills?

Executive functioning skills are the abilities that help us organize, plan and prioritize our thoughts and actions. These skills help us to manage our time, remember important things and stay organized. They also help us regulate our emotions and control our impulses.

Working Memory

Working memory is the ability to hold information in your mind while performing a task. It’s like a mental scratchpad where you store information while using it to complete a task or solve a problem. You use working memory when trying to remember a phone number while dialing it or when you have to do two things simultaneously while keeping track of both tasks.

Cognitive Flexibility

Cognitive flexibility is how well we can shift between tasks or mental sets. For example, suppose your child has cognitive flexibility. In that case, they could easily switch between focusing on their homework and playing video games without getting frustrated or distracted by other things (like siblings running around).

Inhibitory Control

Inhibitory control is an important executive functioning skill because it helps us control our behavior in certain situations. It helps us stop ourselves from doing things that might hurt others or ourselves by controlling strong emotions or urges. Inhibitory control is also known as self-regulation or impulse control.

Signs of Executive Dysfunction

Executive functioning skills are the abilities that help us plan, organize, and get things done. They are essential for success in school, work, and life. If your child struggles with executive functioning skills, you may notice they struggle with organization and time management, has trouble completing homework assignments, and deals with stress.

 

Children with executive functioning issues may struggle to accomplish tasks or complete assignments in school. This can impact their education and social skills, leading to depression or anxiety.

 

Executive functioning is the ability to plan and organize tasks, manage time, complete projects, and remember things needed for the future. The brain is divided into different sections or lobes: right frontal lobe, left frontal lobe, right parietal lobe, left parietal lobe, and occipital lobe. These lobes control different mental processes, such as language and motor skills. They also help children develop social skills that are necessary for academic success. If one of these brain areas is damaged or underdeveloped, it can affect a child’s ability to learn new things and process information correctly.

Struggles With Organization

Your child may have difficulty organizing their assignments and materials. This can lead to missed deadlines or forgetting homework assignments or notes in class. This may cause them to feel frustrated or embarrassed at school or home. You may notice that they leave things they need for school around the house, like books, notebooks, pencils, etc. You can help by setting up a homework station where all their materials are together, so they don’t have to search for them every night before bedtime. You can also encourage them to use a planner or calendar, so they know when assignments are due each week and month.

Time Management Struggles

Children with ADHD have a hard time organizing their time appropriately. This may lead them to procrastinate or not complete tasks on time. Parents should help their children develop an appropriate schedule for schoolwork and extracurricular activities, so they do not fall behind or struggle with stress about completing everything on time.

Academic Declines

Children with ADHD often struggle academically compared to other students of the same age and grade level. They may have trouble applying what they learn in class, completing assignments on time, or remembering information from one class period to another; this can lead to low grades and frustration for parents and students alike. Parents must know that academic struggles are common among children with ADHD so they know how best to support their child’s education.

Social Setting Struggles

If your child has difficulty with social settings, one way to help is to provide them with opportunities to practice these skills. This can be done through home practice or an after-school activity. For example, if your child struggles with making friends, you could sign them up for a sports team or other group that involves meeting new people.

How Can You Help Improve Your Child’s Education When They Struggle With Executive Functioning

Executive functioning is a term that describes skills that help people manage their behavior, emotions, and thoughts. Children who struggle with executive functioning skills may find it difficult to complete tasks, stay organized, or follow directions. They may also have problems with self-control and regulating their emotions. However, there are ways that parents can help their children with these difficulties.

Academic Coaching With Academies City

The first step to helping your child improve their education involves getting them into an academic coach program such as Academies City. We work with your child to develop strategies to help them succeed in school. A child with executive functioning deficits may need more support than they receive in the classroom alone.

Home Skills Training

One of the most important things you can do is to help your child develop strong executive functioning skills at home. As a parent, you are in the best position to help your child develop these skills. This may mean spending more time with your child, but it will be worth it when you see how much better they do in school.

 

This doesn’t mean that you need to spend every waking moment with your child or that you need to be involved with every aspect of their life. Instead, focus on helping them develop strong organizational and self-management skills so they can learn how to take care of themselves independently.

Involvement In Extracurricular Activities

Another way that you can help improve your child’s executive functioning skills is by encouraging them to participate in extracurricular activities. This is because they learn how to work as part of a team and follow directions from others – both important components of executive functioning skills.

Behavioral Therapy

Behavioral therapy can help improve your child’s executive functioning skills by teaching them how to organize themselves better. The therapist will teach them how to break down tasks into smaller pieces that are easier for them to accomplish and help them develop strategies for dealing with distractions in their environment. This approach has been proven effective at improving cognitive function in children with ADHD, who often have difficulty controlling their behavior due to poor executive functioning skills.

Conclusion

So how can you help improve your child’s education if they struggle with executive functioning skills? Start by reaching out to the professionals at Academies City. We can teach your child organizational skills and time management to improve academic performance. Check out our website or call us today to schedule a free consultation.