Impulse control:
Blurting out inappropriate words and perhaps acting impulsively
Emotional control:
May consistently overreact to situations and find it hard to keep emotions in check
Flexible thinking:
Might find it hard to adapt thinking to another angle and adjust to the unexpected
Working memory:
Might find it challenging to follow instructions and retain key information in the short term
Self monitoring:
Helps to evaluate how we are doing, a child with weak EF might struggle with realistic self-monitoring
Planning and prioritising:
Helps a child to know where to start on a project, what is most important and how to plan
Task initiation:
Helps a child to know where to start, otherwise they may not or simply freeze up
Organisation:
Helps a kid keep track, kids with weak EF may lose their phones, jackets, shoes, homework etc.
If your tamariki struggles with any of the above Executive Functioning skills, it can negatively affect many areas of their life including:
- Friendships: children who struggle with impulse and emotional control may find it hard to develop and maintain strong friendships
- Family life: parents of tamariki who are inflexible and disorganised can find it difficult to manage the demands of their whanau and unexpected events
- School life: children who find effective task initiation and organisation tough may find it difficult to take the right gear to school and get their work completed during class time.
- Academic success: teenagers who struggle with self monitoring and task initiation can struggle to get assignments done on time and effectively revise for exams
How can I help my child?
No one is born with excellent Executive Functioning skills, they develop over time. Just like any other skill your child can improve this skill set by working on it.
If you suspect that your child struggles with executive functioning, speak to the team at
Kidz Therapy.
Their
Get Sorted course teaches tamariki how to improve their Executive Functioning skills using exercises, strategies and life hacks in a fun, empowering environment.
If you think your child would work better in a one on one situation, Kidz Therapy's Education Advisor,
Karen Blackall, specialises in working with students on
strategies to assist with executive functioning.
Get in touch with the team Kidz Therapy to see how they can help.
