Executive Functions

Welcome to the section on Executive Functions. The following information will explain what the term ‘Executive Functions’ means and how this fits within our wider Thinking and Learning skills.

Psychologists have been interested in the area of Executive Functions since the 1970’s and there have been several different definitions proposed. In recent years, there has been wider consensus and most researchers agree that Executive Functions can be defined as the cognitive skills necessary for purposeful, goal-directed activity. These skills develop throughout childhood and adolescence and enable us to plan and organise our behaviour, store and recall information, initiate tasks, remain focused, persevere when things get tough and adapt flexibly when faced with challenges.

Any task that involves decision making, time management, problem-solving or adapting to new situations involves the use of Executive Functions to guide and oversee our behaviour. Therefore, Executive Functions can be thought of as the ‘management system of the brain’. It can be helpful to think of Executive Functions as an air traffic control system, bringing all the planes in to land at the right place, at the right time safely.

Someone who has difficulty with Executive Function may have trouble following instructions (especially where there are multiple steps required), starting or finishing tasks, staying focused and organising their belongings. They may act impulsively and have less emotional self-control.

It is hoped that this information will be useful to teaching staff when thinking about providing differentiation to tasks, developing IEP plans or when you notice a barrier in an individual's learning and then try to help them to overcome this.

Background

As mentioned above, there is not a consensus on a definition of Executive Functions that is agreed upon among psychologists and theorists working in this area. There is debate around how many 'thinking skills' make up Executive Functioning, and how these 'thinking skills' should be grouped.

One framework to help understand Executive Functions is through the lens of these 3 core elements:-

Shifting - the ability to adjust your behaviour, focus and thinking skills as and when you are required.
Inhibition - the ability to stop natural impulses, responses and distractibility to stimuli in ones environment that is not related to what they should be focussing upon.
Updating - the ability to oversee actions and behaviour as you carry out a task to ensure that it is being completed according to the plan of action.

A more detailed framework has been developed by the research of Dawson and Gaure. They propose 11 skills which make up the umbrella term of Executive Functioning:

Emotional Control Flexibility Goal-directed Persistence Meta-Cognition

Organisation Planning & Prioritisation Response Inhibition Sustained Attention

Task Initiation Time Management Working Memory

These 11 skills can be broadly broken into 'thinking' skills or 'doing' skills. The visual below shows how these 11 skills fall within the 3 core elements framework.

Graphic created by Aberdeen City Council's Educational Psychology Service showing how the 11 skills can be organised within the three core elements.

Practical Applications in School

Reframing Language

One way to have a positive impact on learning is through using the skills of Executive Functioning to reframe behaviours impacting learning, by making subtle changes to the language we use to describe a learner's needs.

The visual opposite shows how changing the terminology around areas of challenge can provide a more positive and supportive lens to describe a learner. By shifting from negative or deficit language to positive, solution-focused language, educators can create a supportive atmosphere that encourages children to learn, grow, and build resilience.

Executive functioning skills support a strengths based approach to target setting, and can be helpful to consider when developing targets for learners.

Image showing the executive function skills and learning needs underpinning observed behaviours. Image from EdPsychEd.

External and Internal Classroom Strategies

There are lots of easy to integrate practices to support the development of Executive Functions skills at school. Strategies can be deemed as 'external' meaning they are provided by the adult, or 'internal' meaning they are taught to the learner to develop their independence.

Click on the drop downs below to explore strategies that can help in each of the core elements of Shifting, Inhibition and Updating.

Shifting

Image showing the Shifting compensation strategies collected by Dr Rebecca Ashton. Image from EdPsychEd.

Inhibition

Image showing the Inhibition compensation strategies collected by Dr Rebecca Ashton. Image from EdPsychEd.

Updating

Image showing the Updating compensation strategies collected by Dr Rebecca Ashton. Image from EdPsychEd.

Additional Resources

Smart but Scattered is a website developed by Dawson and Guare, and contains some helpful handouts to support Executive Function development for children and young people.
Activated Learning is a website developed by Laurie Faith which provides information on her book and pictorial examples of how Executive Functions can be supported in classrooms.
Harvard University have developed a short guide based on their research into Executive Functions and strategies to support their development. Click here to download this.

Want to explore this more?

To explore the information presented on this page with an Educational Psychologist, please request a Systemic EIC. To find out how to request a Systemic EIC please click here.

Interested in further training?

To find out more about our Executive Functions training offer please visit our Training page by clicking here.

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