Executive functions are the skills that kids and adults need to manage themselves and get things done in their daily activities. They have become even more crucial during the COVID-19 pandemic when skills such as flexibility, planning, and organization are crucial in balancing the demands of home, school, and work. Working adults who struggle with executive functioning skills find themselves stressed and overwhelmed by the 24/7 routine of caring for kids, monitoring (or teaching ) schoolwork, and having energy for their paying job. Kids who are in remote learning or hybrid educational programs need a whole set of skills to manage their classwork, sustain their attention, keep their learning materials organized, and flexibly shift from the home to classroom environment. Yes, both kids and adults rely upon executive functioning skills to manage themselves during the pandemic. We have searched the internet for some great sources for learning about executive functions (in addition to our own materials) and want to share them with you. These sources will help you to better apply executive functions during the pandemic and beyond.
LearningWorks for Kids- The Science of Executive Functions
LearningWorks for Kids offers comprehensive knowledge about executive functions providing clear descriptions, as well as information about diagnoses and development. This webpage also makes the much needed connection between executive functioning difficulties and the classroom. Exploring this site, you will come across many other great articles and resources having to do with executive functions, along with a number of other important topics.
Strategies to Strengthen Executive Function
This article, published on Psychology Today, by Timothy A. Pychyl, relates procrastination with a number of executive functioning issues. Pychyl mentions some of the main difficulty areas when it comes to poor executive functioning skills, as well as strategies to try out to increase executive functioning and decrease procrastination.
What is Executive Function Coaching?
This article, published on the Clay Center for Youth Healthy Minds website, explores the roles and responsibilities of executive function coaches. Some students who struggle in school do not need an academic tutor to help turn their performance around. Rather, some students could benefit from an executive function coach, someone who will sit down with this student and produce a workable system based on the student’s current struggles.
Executive Function and Executive Function Disorder
This article, published on WebMD is your go to for any and all questions executive functioning related. This article not only explains what executive function is, but it also explains different types and what areas of your life may be affected if your executive functioning. The article further goes into what executive function disorder is and some causes, tell-tale signs, the diagnosis process, and some ways to manage problems and improve these executive functions.
Strengthening Executive Function in Children: Tips for Parents and Practitioners
The Search Institute has put out this informational document as a great visual resource to help you better understand executive functions. While being chock full of information, it is easy to navigate with diagrams, tables, and more to break the information down into understandable sections.
This short article written by Peg Dawson, published by Smart Kids with Learning Disabilities, is a quick, but great read. Dawson shares nine key principles to go by when working to help a child improve their executive skills. This article could be a great resource for parents and teachers, especially as they work together to help the student get the support and/or guidance needed.
Teens and Executive Function Skills
This article, also published on the Smart Kids with Learning Disabilities website, focuses on executive function skills in teenagers. It touches on ways to improve these skills in teenagers, how to acknowledge and address a number of challenges that may be faced, as well as encouraging these teenagers to find a passion. It has been found that individuals who struggle with executive functioning skills can often put much of their attention into, potentially out of the box, passions that can keep them occupied and away from risky behavior.
