Executive Functioning Coaching

What is Executive Functioning?

When people struggle with executive functioning, it can impact them in all areas of life, including academics. They often experience difficulty focusing, following directions, and managing their emotions. Executive functioning involves a set of mental skills, including working memory, flexible thinking, and self-control. We employ these skills daily to learn, work, and generally function effectively. Executive function coaching is an effective means of empowering students to understand and implement strategies for achieving school success.

What does executive functioning coaching entail?

  • Direct instruction in goal setting
  • Time management strategies such as
    • backwards planning
    • prioritizing assignments and information
    • effective use of calendars and planners
  • Strategies for complex tasks such as learning new information from lectures and texts, study skills, and written expression.

Teaching Methods Include:

  1. The SMARTS Executive Functioning Curriculum
  2. Skills for School Success by Anita Archer
  3. Metacognitive strategies
  4. Demystification

 

Executive Functioning Defined

Three Main Areas Involved

  1. Working memory

  2. Cognitive flexibility (also called flexible thinking

  3. Inhibitory control (which includes self-control)

 

Skills Impacted

  • Attention

  • Organizing, planning, and prioritizing

  • Starting tasks and staying focused on them to completion

  • Understanding different points of view

  • Regulating emotions

  • Self-monitoring (keeping track of what you’re doing)

 

People struggling with executive skills may: