Tools for Executive Functioning

Areas of Executive Functioning:

Behavior Regulation:  

• • Inhibition: The ability to resist impulses and stop one's own behavior at the appropriate time

    • • Ex:  Students with inhibition difficulty may have trouble controlling impulses or stopping their behavior on their own.

  • Self-monitoring:  The awareness of the impact of one's own behavior on other people and outcomes

    • • Ex:  Students with weaknesses in self-monitoring  show limited awareness of their behavior and the impact it has on their social interactions with others.  

Emotional Regulation:

• • Shift: The ability to make transitions easily, problem solve in a flexible way (social and academic problem solving), alternate attention between tasks, or change focus from one task or topic to another

    • • Ex:  Key aspects of shifting include the ability to make transitions, solve problems in a flexible manner, and change focus from one mindset or topic to another. 

  • Emotional Control: The ability to regulate emotional responses; the student may demonstrate sudden or frequent emotional lability or outbursts

    • • Ex: Students with emotional control problems may have an exaggerated response to a disappointing situation, and may require additional time to regroup or recover from negative feelings.  

Cognitive Regulation:

• • Initiation: The ability to begin a task and work independently to produce ideas, responses, or strategies for problem-solving

    • • Ex: Students with initiation difficulties typically want to succeed at a task, but they cannot get started. They may need extensive prompts or cues to begin an activity.

  • Working Memory:  The ability to hold information in mind for the purpose of doing a task (e.g., mental computation, multistep activities, or complex instructions)

    • • Ex:  Students with vulnerability in working memory skills may have difficulty “sticking to” a task or activity for an age-appropriate amount of time, and may frequently switch tasks or fail to complete tasks. 

  • Planning/Organizing: Planning refers to the ability to anticipate future events, set goals, and develop a sequence of steps to meet a goal.  Organizing refers to the ability to bring order to information and identify/appreciate the main idea or key concepts when learning or communicating about information

    • • Ex:  Students with planning difficulties are often unable to start large assignments in a timely fashion or to obtain the correct tools before beginning a project. Students with organizational weaknesses may approach tasks in a haphazard manner, may have excellent ideas that they are unable to communicate orally or in writing, and may be easily overwhelmed by large amounts of information. 

  • Task Monitoring:  This includes work-checking habits - whether or not a student assesses his/her work during or shortly after finishing a task

    • • Ex:  Students with difficulty with Task Monitoring tend not to be cautious in their approach to tasks or assignments and often do not notice and/or check for mistakes. These students may rush through their work, make careless mistakes, fail check their work. 

  • Organizing Materials: The ability to hold on to materials and maintain order in one's own work, play, or study spaces

    • • Ex:  Students with difficulty organizing materials may frequently lose important papers or show up to class without the necessary books, notebooks, or other tools.  

  • Task Completion:  The ability to finish tasks completely and in a timely manner. (difficulty with output).  Task Completion is not one of the executive functions - rather, it represents the outcome of other executive difficulties (working memory, planning, and inhibitory control).  

    • • Ex:  Students with difficulty with Task Completion struggle with production of work or performance output, and/or the ability to complete work in a timely manner.  

To take a survey to find out which areas you need help with, click here for students and adults.