ExecutiveFunctionFactSheet

By:NationalCenterforLearningDisabilities(NCLD)(2005)

WhatisExecutiveFunction?
"ExecutiveFunction"isatermusedtodescribeasetofmentalprocessesthathelpsusconnectpast experiencewithpresentaction.Weuseexecutivefunctionwhenweperformsuchactivitiesasplanning, organizing,strategizingandpayingattentiontoandrememberingdetails. Peoplewithexecutivefunctionproblemshavedifficultywithplanning,organizingandmanagingtimeand space.Theyalsoshowweaknesswith"workingmemory"(or"seeinginyourmind'seye"),whichisan importanttoolinguidingone'sactions. AswithothermanifestationsofLD,disordersinexecutivefunctioncanruninfamilies.Problemscanbe seenatanyagebuttendtobeincreasinglyapparentaschildrenmovethroughtheearlyelementary grades;thedemandsofcompletingschoolworkindependentlycanoftentriggersignsthatthereare difficultiesinthisarea.

HowdoesExecutiveFunctionaffectlearning?
Inschool,athomeorintheworkplace,we'recalledonallday,everyday,toselfregulatebehavior. Normally,featuresofexecutivefunctionareseeninourabilityto: makeplans keeptrackoftime keeptrackofmorethanonethingatonce meaningfullyincludepastknowledgeindiscussions engageingroupdynamics evaluateideas reflectonourwork changeourmindsandmakemidcourseandcorrectionswhilethinking,readingandwriting finishworkontime askforhelp waittospeakuntilwe'recalledon seekmoreinformationwhenweneedit. Theseskillsallowustofinishourworkontime,askforhelpwhenneeded,waittospeakuntilwe'recalled onandseekmoreinformation.

Problemswithexecutivefunctionmaybemanifestedwhenaperson: hasdifficultyplanningaproject hastroublecomprehendinghowmuchtimeaprojectwilltaketocomplete strugglestotellastory(verballyorinwriting);hastroublecommunicatingdetailsinanorganized, sequentialmanner hasdifficultywiththementalstrategiesinvolvedinmemorizationandretrievinginformationfrom memory hastroubleinitiatingactivitiesortasks,orgeneratingideasindependently hasdifficultyretaininginformationwhiledoingsomethingwithit;e.g.,rememberingaphone numberwhiledialing.

HowareproblemswithExecutiveFunctionidentified?
Thereisnosingletestorevenbatteryofteststhatidentifiesallofthedifferentfeaturesofexecutive function.Educators,psychologists,speechlanguagepathologistsandothershaveusedmeasuresincluding theWisconsinCardSortingTest(Berg,1948),theCategoryTest(Reitan,1979),theTrailMakingTest (Reitan,1979),andtheProgressiveFiguresandColorFormTests(Reitan&Wolfson,1985)tonamea few. Carefulobservationandtrialteachingareinvaluableinidentifying,andbetterunderstanding,weaknesses inthisarea.

Whataresomestrategiestohelp?
Therearemanyeffectivestrategiesonecanuseinwhenfacedwiththechallengeofproblemswith executivefunction.Herearesomemethodstotry:

Generalstrategies
Takestepbystepapproachestowork;relyonvisualorganizationalaids. Usetoolsliketimeorganizers,computersorwatcheswithalarms. Preparevisualschedulesandreviewthemseveraltimesaday. Askforwrittendirectionswithoralinstructionswheneverpossible. Planandstructuretransitiontimesandshiftsinactivities.

Managingtime
Createchecklistsand"todo"lists,estimatinghowlongtaskswilltake. Breaklongassignmentsintochunksandassigntimeframesforcompletingeachchunk. Usevisualcalendarstokeeptrackoflongtermassignments,duedates,chores,andactivities. UsemanagementsoftwaresuchastheFranklinDayPlanner,PalmPilot,orLotusOrganizer. Besuretowritetheduedateontopofeachassignment.

Managingspaceandmaterials

Organizeworkspace. Minimizeclutter. Considerhavingseparateworkareaswithcompletesetsofsuppliesfordifferentactivities. Scheduleaweeklytimetocleanandorganizetheworkspace.

Managingwork
Makeachecklistforgettingthroughassignments.Forexample,astudent'schecklistcouldinclude suchitemsas:getoutpencilandpaper;putnameonpaper;putduedateonpaper;read directions;etc. Meetwithateacherorsupervisoronaregularbasistoreviewwork;troubleshootproblems.

Thebottomline
Thebraincontinuestomatureanddevelopconnectionswellintoadulthood,andaperson'sexecutive functionabilitiesareshapedbybothphysicalchangesinthebrainandbylifeexperiences,inthe classroomandintheworldatlarge.Earlyattentiontodevelopingefficientskillsinthisareacanbevery helpful,andasarule,directinstruction,frequentreassuranceandexplicitfeedbackarestrongly recommended. Copyright2008bytheNationalCenterforLearningDisabilities,Inc.Allrightsreserved. http://www.ldonline.org/article/24880/?theme=print 2008WETA.AllRightsReserved.