1. What is Executive Functioning?
By Chet Plegge

2. What is Executive Functioning?
The command and control center of the
brain
• The conductor of cognitive skills.
• The cognitive process that connects learned
experiences with present actions.
• The place that encodes, retrieves and
manipulates information.
•

3. What is the Impact of Executive Functioning Difficulties?
1) Cognitive Performance:
•Slow processing speed
•Difficulty maintaining motivation
•Limited stamina
•Poor goal directed persistence

4. Emotional Regulation:
•Problems curbing frustration
•Difficulty maintaining a positive attitude
•Struggles with controlling anxiety

5. Monitoring and Management:
•Poor self awareness - prioritizing and self
awareness
•Difficulties with self-regulation – time
management, organization and planning

6. Attention:
•Impulsive behaviors
•Problems sustaining attention
•Difficulties shifting focus
•Poor goal directed persistence

7. Social:
•Difficulties arriving on time for
social gatherings
•Problems planning events
•Difficulties engaging in-group
dynamics
•Struggles with recalling people’s
names
Educational:
•Difficulties recording assignments
•Problems initiating schoolwork
•Struggles with locating Handouts and
homework
•Forgetting to submit completed
assignments
•Problems maintaining organized
materials and space
•Trouble keeping appointments
Family:
•Problems arriving on time for family
gatherings
•Difficulties finding items
•Struggles with maintaining an organized
space
•Problems regulating emotions with family
members
Occupational:
•Problems maintaining stamina on
projects
•Difficulties organizing materials
•Struggles to keep appointments
•Problems finding materials
•Difficulties arriving to work on time

8. What are Some General Solutions?
•Meditation and mindfulness training
•EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique)
•Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
•Cognitive remediation in areas such as working
memory and emotional regulation
•Individual or family therapy
•Structured and routine oriented lifestyle
•Use of planners, a PDA (such as a smart phone or
computer) or hiring a personal assistant

9. What are Some Academic Solutions?
•Create a structured daily routine
•Set priorities
•Generate a homework plan
•Break large assignments into manageable chunks
•Make to do checklists
•Teach study skills
•Illustrate note-taking skills
•Demonstrate time management skills by breaking
large assignments into manageable chunks with numerous deadlines
•Teach test taking strategies
•Demonstrate memory strategies
•Help student motivation by offering incentives and positive reinforcement
•Create and use graphic organizers for writing
•Teach metacognitive skills by thinking through the process aloud
•Use technology such as a smart phone to create reminder

10. Other Student issues caused by poor Executive Functioning skills
losing materials
forgetting to turn in assignments
leaving things to the last minute
miscalculating or underestimating the amount of time it will take to
complete a task
failing to record homework in an agenda or planner
leaving needed materials at school
leaving needed materials at home
failing to prepare for tests
failing to plan and break down long-term assignments into manageable
tasks or goals
neglecting to plan for midterms or finals
missing assignments
forgetting details
losing focus and missing important notes or directions
losing mental stamina and failing to complete a task
misplacing important materials
rushing through work