You may have heard your child’s therapist, or someone else talk about executive functioning skills and how important these skills are for everyday life. But what exactly do they mean by executive functioning?
Executive functioning skills are a set of skill that help us to manage time, organise our thoughts and actions, solve problems, and make decisions. While these skills do start to develop from birth, there is usually a big growth in this area between the ages of 3 and 5. Keep in mind, every child is different, and those with different brain types, such as Autistic people or ADHD'er, may find these skills more difficult or demonstrate their skills in a different way.
Areas of executive functioning include:
Planning
Sequencing
Attention
Working memory
Problem solving
Task Initiation
Emotional Regulation
Impulse Control
So, how can we support a child who may be having difficulty with their day-to-day tasks because of their executive functioning skills? While we can work towards developing these skills over time, such as improving their working memory through interest-based play, we can also look to modifications. This may look like visual routines or schedules to support with planning or sequencing, introducing checklists to support with task initiation, or trialing different visual timer systems to support with time awareness. For older kids, Apps such as the Tiimo App can be helpful to support with planning and organising. At the end of the day, it's about finding what works for each person and not assuming one strategy will work for all.
If you want more information on executive functioning skills or how to support your child with these skills, get in contact with us or your child’s occupational therapist to explore what could work for them.
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