Executive Functions
Have you ever heard this term in relation to your child and wondered what it means for their development? Have you never heard this term before and are curious about what it means? We are so excited to have our very own Clinic Director Michelle Needle on the blog today to discuss some great information on executive functioning, and ways you can help your child at home!
Executive Functions: What are they? Why are they important? How can I help my child?
The executive functions include planning, organization, task initiation, mental flexibility, attention, self-control, metacognition, working memory, time management, and perseverance.
The executive functions are a diverse, but related and overlapping, set of skills that begin to develop in infancy and continues into early adulthood. These skills are built through meaningful social interactions and enjoyable activities that draw on self-regulatory skills at increasingly demanding levels. But…what happens to our kids who have difficulty with these kinds of interactions???
These life skills that we use every day often do not have to be explicitly taught. Kids learn to develop these skills passively by interacting with people, objects and life experiences. But…what happens when our kids do not interact with people and objects in a typical way or experience life in a different way?
Some diagnoses that are often associated with executive dysfunction include ADHD, Autism, and learning disabilities. As our babies are developing, we may not know that these diagnoses are or will be present.
So how can we start to encourage the development of these skills from the beginning stages? Read on for ideas on incorporating these skills at home for children various ages.
Infants begin to develop focus and attention, working memory, and self-control skills. Lap games like Peekaboo or Pat-a-Cake are excellent ways to focus on working memory. The babies have to remember who is hiding, wait for the caregiver to reveal themselves, develop familiarity with the rhymes, and practice anticipating a surprise. Hiding games are also great ways to challenge working memory. Fingerplays, songs, and chants with simple hand motions are super fun for babies and help them build attention, working memory, and self-control. Some ideas include: Itsy Bitsy Spider, Where Is Thumbkin, and Open, Shut them.
During this stage, language skills are rapidly expanding. Language is incredibly important in the development of EF skills as it helps toddlers identify their thoughts and actions, reflect on them, and make plans that they can hold in working memory to act upon. Language helps preschoolers to begin to understand and follow rules. Active games are great at this age. Simple ideas like throwing and catching, running up and down a hill, jumping, etc. Set up simple rules to follow, take turns, and create goals with a finish line. Games like Follow the Leader, Freeze Dance, Ring around the Rosie, The Hokey Pokey, I’m a Little Teapot, Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes are great ones. They require children to attend to the words, hold them in working memory, and then use the song to guide their actions. Inhibition can be practiced as well when stopping and starting the music or game. You can begin to add in sorting games (sorting by color, size, shape), simple puzzles (ask where they might put a certain piece or what happens if it doesn’t fit), and begin to talk about feelings (give them language to reflect on their feelings such as “it seems like you are really angry right now”.
The ultimate goal during this stage is to begin to shift away from relying on adult regulation. Imaginary play becomes increasingly important. Providing the right tools for this is essential. Provide varied props and toys for play that mimics their every day life (i.e., a doctor kit, a cooking set, pet care set). These types of toys help them hold complex ideas in mind and shape their actions to follow these rules. It allows children to take the perspective of others (now I’m the doctor and you are the patient and then vice versa). They begin to play cooperatively which helps regulate behavior. Read books, go on field trips, and use videos to make sure children have enough background information to support pretend play. Provide opportunities for physical problem solving through access to climbing structures, balance beams, seesaws. When children try new and difficult activities they need to focus attention, monitor and adjust their actions, and persist to achieve a goal. Matching games such as Memory, Quirkle, and S’Match are also great for cognitive flexibility.
Constant challenge is great at this age. It is important to choose games that are demanding but not too hard. Card games and board games such as Memory, Concentration, Go Fish, Old Maid, Crazy Eights, Uno are amazing for working memory, cognitive flexibility, and inhibition. Games like Perfection or Slapjack are also good for challenging attention and inhibition. Strategy games such as Sorry!, Battleship, Mancala, Checkers, Chinese Checkers begin to become fun at this age. It helps with planning skills, holding that plan in mind for several moves ahead, and adjusting strategy in response to others. For children that enjoy physical activity, games that require attention, quick responses, and inhibition include musical chairs, freeze dance, Red, Light Green Light, Mother May I, What time is it Mr. Fox, Simone Says are great for challenging working memory, selective responses, and inhibition. Fast moving games like four square, dodgeball, and tetherball are good for rule following, quick decision making, and self-control. It is also good for kids to engage in quieter activities that require strategy and reflection. Brain teaser boos, mazes, simple word finds will exercise attention and problem solving skills. Other games such as Traffic Jam, Mastermind, and Thinkfun are good for cognitive flexibility challenges.
School age children begin to apply the skills they have learned through play and experience to academics. Continuing to provide fun challenges and increase the complexity of games is still important though. Card games help to exercise working memory, mental flexibility, planning, and strategy, attention, quick decision making. Games such as Spit, Gin Rummy, Poker, and mahjong are examples. Other strategy games like Chess, Minecraft, and Dungeons and Dragons are more complex versions. Participating in organized sports is also essential for developing the ability to hold complicated rules and strategies in mind, monitoring their own and others’ actions, and respond flexibly to play. Less structured games like Flashlight tag, laser tag, and paintball can address these skills as well. Learning to play a musical instrument helps children to follow rhythmic patterns which challenges coordination of working memory, attention, cognitive flexibility and inhibition. Dancing also provides opportunities to hold choreography in mind while coordinating movements with the music. Again, quiet games such as crossword puzzles, Sudoku, Rubik’s Cubes are good to foster independence.
Teenagers must learn to manage school, extracurricular activities, and home life. They begin to complete more abstract and complicated projects. Some ideas to help teens practice better self-regulation include providing them with the tools they need. Help teens develop plans for steps to reach goals, help them identify short and long term goals, help them manage social issues, and reminding them to periodically monitor their own behavior. Teaching them positive self-talk can help teens bring thoughts into actions. Learning to understand the motivation of others and taking the perspective of others through role play can also be helpful. Encouraging them to write in journals can foster self-reflection. Other good activities that teens may enjoy that draw on self-regulation skills include: sports, yoga/meditation, music, theater, strategy games/logic puzzles, and computer games. At this age, adolescents are expected to be increasingly independent and organized in school.
The following can be helpful when they are demonstrating difficulty: help them break down a project into manageable pieces, identify reasonable plans for completing each pieces, help them self-monitor while working, and help them be aware of critical times for focused attention. Additionally, teach them to use memory supports for organizing tasks, to use a calendar of project deadlines and steps along the way, and how to reflect after completing an assignment on what worked well and what did not.
A big thank you to Michelle for a ton of good info on Executive Functions and great ideas on how to incorporate at home! Always feel free to ask your therapist if you have questions related to your child’s development in this area, or contact us today to schedule an evaluation.
