Executive function is a set of mental skills that act as a command center in the brain. They help us plan, manage time, control emotions, and get tasks done. They’re also important for staying focused and solving problems. So struggling with executive function can have a big impact on kids.
Trouble with executive skills is common in kids who learn and think differently. And all kids with ADHD struggle with it. Read more ›
Executive functioning isn’t something that just crops up during adolescence. Our kids have been working on their executive functioning skills since they were babies.
“Executive functioning is a set of skills that allow kids to organize and complete tasks in a timely manner,” says school psychologist Kevin Kemelhar. These skills include initiating tasks, maintaining steam while completing them, and reaching goals. A big part of this process involves “inhibition,” where kids learn to mute their impulses to do something else (like Snapchatting their friends) while they complete the task at hand. Read more ›
Spending just one hour per week for a month with therapy dogs led to a significant improvement in executive functioning for college students at risk of failing academically. Read more ›
In this presentation, neuropsychologist Jennifer Rosenthal, PhD, and CHC education specialist Ann Lyke, MEd, discuss Executive Functioning: what it is, what executive functioning skills look like in the classroom, and why many children are facing additional challenges with executive functioning during the pandemic. Read more ›
Online learning can create unique challenges for students, as they don’t have in-person signals such as bell schedules or classroom cues to help them stay focused and on track during the day, writes middle school language arts and social studies teacher Kasey Short for Edutopia. Short developed online tools to help her students organize their time and work even while they’re remote. Read more ›
For tweens and young teens, navigating distance learning this school year will require an array of skills they might not yet have developed, writes middle school director and author Jody Passanisi for MiddleWeb. Without the rules and routines of a physical classroom—the external “regulatory systems” that allow kids this age to learn from watching peers and teachers—middle school students will need extra help to build up the self-regulatory skills needed to “set themselves up for success physically, materially, and emotionally.” Read more ›
Aside from experiencing physical changes, preteens also undergo a brain growth spurt much like toddlers. Ron Dahl, who directs the Institute for Human Development at the University of California, Berkeley, argues that adolescence is actually a second opportunity to invest in children because of the enormous brain development during this period. Read more ›
Allowing your child to play is a must! A healthy balance between children playing on their own and having structured play with parents is important for early learning and development. Read more ›
At each age in a child’s life, there are predictable levels of skill to expect. We have outlined the developmental milestones for ages 1 to 18—a checklist you can use as you observe your child growing up, and a guide to use with your pediatrician or your child’s teacher. Read more ›
Every morning Marsha, age 10, wakes up on the wrong side of the bed and it is a battle to get to school on time. Read more ›
