You’ve probably had several of these students in your school: bright kids who consistently underperform. They’re smart, they’re capable, but something’s holding them back. Discover the hidden factor that can derail any child’s success: Executive Function.
When someone mentions executive function, what comes to mind? In my experience, many people are familiar with the term but aren’t clear about its scope or impact on daily life. Some people with executive function challenges have difficulty regulating emotions or impulses. Others have trouble setting goals, managing time, or remembering what they need to do. For some, all the above and more apply.
While definitions, semantics, and models vary, most field experts agree that Executive Function involves self-driven, goal-directed behavior that guides future direction and utilizes the highest aspects of brain functions to organize, prioritize, and manage daily life. Often associated with a set of skills that make a chief executive officer successful, executive function allows us to juggle various responsibilities, interact with others, regulate emotions, make adjustments to achieve a desired result, and get stuff done. As psychologist and researcher Jack Naglieri says, “It’s the thinking a person uses to decide how to achieve any goal, which includes self-monitoring and self-corrections as needed.1
Executive Function development begins shortly after birth and is influenced by a child’s genes and environment. If a parent has ADHD or a child grows up in a home with trauma or lead exposure, the risk of executive function challenges may be increased. With the first three years of life being the most rapid period of brain development and adolescence being the second most significant, we as educators, parents, caregivers, support professionals, and coaches play critical roles in building executive function and healthy brains.2
By preschool, students build executive function by learning how to take turns, follow routines, remember directions, transition to new activities, keep emotions in check, and adjust their approach to a task if their current method isn’t working. In elementary school, skill-building continues by doing simple chores, completing homework, and following classroom norms. During the middle school years, transitions become faster and more frequent, with students practicing self-regulation and developing systems for notetaking, homework, and long-term projects. By high school, students’ demands increase to meet deadlines, manage time, set goals, and inhibit risky behaviors. If students receive regular practice in these areas, executive function improves rapidly throughout their childhood and adolescent years. By late adolescence, “adult” networks are fairly formed but continue developing well into the twenties.
We as educators must intertwine executive function, academic competencies, and Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) in kids’ environments from the onset, helping them name and express emotions productively, learn constructive self-talk, and feel safe to make mistakes. Aspects of SEL include:
These building blocks strengthen executive function and develop emotional intelligence (EQ).3 Research supports a strong link between Executive Function, SEL, and success in school, social interactions, jobs, and life.
Students with underdeveloped executive function often need support with SEL. They might experience high stress and academic challenges, which can lead to doubting themselves as learners and viewing school in a negative light. This affects their self-talk, mindset, motivation, decision making, and approach to life. Kids may be sent to the principal more frequently when they struggle with impulsivity, distractibility, controlling emotions, interacting with peers, or sticking to routines. A trip to the main office can result in missed class time, falling behind, talking to themselves harshly, and acting out. A downward cycle can begin.
Some of my biggest pet peeves are when I hear students described as lazy, able to “turn it on when they want to,” or “will never change.” Kids take these damaging, unproductive labels to heart. Some students have missed pivotal opportunities to build executive function, live with undiagnosed ADHD, or are dealing with trauma, learning challenges, mental health issues, or a mix of stressors. Executive dysfunction is not a measurement of character, nor does it mean someone isn’t intelligent or capable; it’s often quite the opposite! However, being smart is not enough. A student might be bright but a slow processor. They may comprehend a concept but not know how to start an essay, delay gratification, or work well in a group.
Emotions also impact learning—for better or worse. In the learning process, we experience emotions that lay the foundation for healthy or unhealthy narratives about ourselves. If students have repeated negative experiences, a stress chemical called cortisol increases, which can lead to behavior issues (i.e., avoiding challenges, reluctance to learning). What these kids might remember about being in school or a class is that it bored them or they couldn’t do the work. However, learning that elicits productive thoughts, emotions, and multi-sensory experiences develops efficient networks that boost the retrieval of information, and builds confidence and resilience.
Executive Function is a critical set of skills that underpins success in all areas of life. By understanding executive function and its development, we can empower educators, parents, and caregivers to create nurturing environments that foster these essential skills in children. If you’d like to learn more about executive function and how to support its development, pick up a copy of this helpful book today!
Written by Noel Foy.
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