Executive Function

What is Executive Function?

Executive function is a set of mental processes that help people plan, organize, strategize, pay attention to and remember details, and manage time and space.

Difficulties with executive function can be evident at any age, but it tends to become more apparent in the early elementary grades. When the demands of school begin to increase, such as bigger academic load, more homework, increased language demands and the expectation of completing school tasks independently, problems with executive function begin to emerge.

A student or person may have problems with executive function when they have trouble:

• Planning projects
• Comprehending how much time a project will take to complete
• Telling stories (verbally or in writing), struggling to communicate details in an organized, sequential manner
• Categorizing (i.e. filing papers efficiently)
• Keeping tasks, papers, folders organized
• Memorizing and retrieving information from memory
• Initiating activities or tasks, or generating ideas independently
• Retaining information while doing something with it, for example, remembering a phone number while dialing (www.ncld.org)

How can speech therapy help me or my child with executive functioning?

A speech language pathologist can evaluate and provide therapy for someone who may be experiencing difficulty with executive functioning skills. Sessions would focus on providing a variety strategies individualized for the client to apply and generalize into various environments (i.e. school, home, work).

Though the frontal lobe of the brain continues to develop well into adulthood, providing direct instruction on executive functioning strategies early can have a significant positive outcome on a child’s future academic and social success.