Executive function skills are critical for academic success. For many students, the lack of one or several of these executive function skills can significantly impact their ability to succeed in school.

 

Your Child May Be Having Trouble with Executive Function if He/She Has Difficulty:

 

• Making, recalling, and recording plans and assignments

• Staying focused in class

• Keeping materials organized

• Planning a project or homework

• Showing up to class or appointments on time

• Multi-tasking

• Turning in assignments

• Pairing past and new knowledge

• Reflecting on work

• Finishing work on time

• Thinking through problems

• Waiting to speak until called on

• Pursuing help

• Estimating how much time is required to complete a task

• Telling a story (verbally or in writing)

• Communicating details in an organized, sequential manner

• With memorization and retrieving information from memory

• Initiating homework or tasks, or generating ideas independently

• With working memory: retaining information while doing something with it (e.g., remembering a phone number while dialing)

 

Executive Dysfunction decreases an individual’s ability to analyze situations, plan and take action, focus and maintain attention, and adjust actions as needed to get the job done. Because the adverse effects of executive dysfunction intersect all domains of one’s life (i.e., school performance, workplace, home and social interactions), early identification and intervention by an SLP is crucial.

 

If you have concerns about your child’s Executive Function skills, please contact us online, send us an email or call us at 888-28-LAPSA (52772) to set up a consultation in our office.