The document discusses executive skills, which help regulate behavior by selecting and achieving goals and developing problem solutions. Executive thinking skills include planning, organization, time management, working memory, and metacognition. Executive guiding skills modify behavior through response inhibition, self-regulation of affect, task initiation, flexibility, and goal-directed persistence. Executive skills become increasingly important for school-related tasks from preschool through high school as expectations grow.

1. Executive SkillsExecutive Skills
A Practical GuideA Practical Guide

2. Executive SkillsExecutive Skills
 Conductor of an orchestraConductor of an orchestra
 Channel selector of TVChannel selector of TV
 Chairman of the BoardChairman of the Board

3. Role of Executive SkillsRole of Executive Skills
 Meet challengesMeet challenges
 Accomplish goalsAccomplish goals
 Help decide which tasks to payHelp decide which tasks to pay
attention to, to performattention to, to perform
 Organize behavior to delayOrganize behavior to delay
gratificationgratification
 SIMPLY:SIMPLY: TO REGULATETO REGULATE
BEHAVIORBEHAVIOR

4. Role of Executive SkillsRole of Executive Skills
 Thinking skillsThinking skills
to achieve goalsto achieve goals
and problemand problem
solvesolve
 PlanningPlanning
 OrganizationOrganization
 TimeTime
managementmanagement
 WorkingWorking
memorymemory
 MetacognitionMetacognition
 Guiding skills toGuiding skills to
modify behaviormodify behavior
 ResponseResponse
inhibitioninhibition
 Self-regulationSelf-regulation
of affectof affect
 Task initiationTask initiation
 FlexibiltyFlexibilty
 Goal directedGoal directed
persistencepersistence

5. Role of Executive ThinkingRole of Executive Thinking
SkillsSkills
Select and achieve goalsSelect and achieve goals
Develop problem solutionsDevelop problem solutions

6. Role of Executive ThinkingRole of Executive Thinking
SkillsSkills
PlanningPlanning
- the ability to create a roadmap to- the ability to create a roadmap to
reach a goal or complete a taskreach a goal or complete a task
- deciding what is important to- deciding what is important to
focus on (saliency determination)focus on (saliency determination)

7. Role of Executive ThinkingRole of Executive Thinking
SkillsSkills
 OrganizationOrganization
 The ability to arrange or placeThe ability to arrange or place
things according to a systemthings according to a system
vs

8. Role of Executive ThinkingRole of Executive Thinking
SkillsSkills
 Time managementTime management
 The capacity to estimate:The capacity to estimate:
 How much time you haveHow much time you have
 How to allocate the time you haveHow to allocate the time you have
 How to stay with in time limits andHow to stay with in time limits and
meet deadlinesmeet deadlines
Instilling that a
Sense of time
Is important!

9. Role of Executive ThinkingRole of Executive Thinking
SkillsSkills
 Working memoryWorking memory
 Ability to hold information in theAbility to hold information in the
mind while performing complexmind while performing complex
taskstasks
 Ability to apply previous learningAbility to apply previous learning
to the lesson at hand for problemto the lesson at hand for problem
solvingsolving

10. Role of Executive ThinkingRole of Executive Thinking
SkillsSkills
 MetacognitionMetacognition
 The ability observe yourself in aThe ability observe yourself in a
situationsituation
 Self-monitoringSelf-monitoring
Am I paying attention?
Working too fast? Slow?

11. Role of Executive GuidingRole of Executive Guiding
SkillsSkills
 Modifies your behavior to beModifies your behavior to be
able to meet the goalsable to meet the goals

12. Role of Executive GuidingRole of Executive Guiding
SkillsSkills
 Response inhibitionResponse inhibition
 Capacity to think before you actCapacity to think before you act
 Evaluating how a behavior mayEvaluating how a behavior may
impact a situationimpact a situation

13. Role of Executive GuidingRole of Executive Guiding
SkillsSkills
 Self-regulation of affectSelf-regulation of affect
 The ability to manage emotions inThe ability to manage emotions in
order to achieve goals, completeorder to achieve goals, complete
tasks, control or direct thetasks, control or direct the
behaviorbehavior

14. Role of Executive GuidingRole of Executive Guiding
SkillsSkills
 Task initiationTask initiation
 The ability to start a task with outThe ability to start a task with out
undue procrastinationundue procrastination

15. Role of Executive GuidingRole of Executive Guiding
SkillsSkills
 FlexibilityFlexibility
 The ability to revise in the face ofThe ability to revise in the face of
obstacles, new information,obstacles, new information,
mistakesmistakes
 Being adaptable to changingBeing adaptable to changing
conditionsconditions

16. Role of Executive GuidingRole of Executive Guiding
SkillsSkills
 Goal-directed persistenceGoal-directed persistence
 Capacity to follow through to theCapacity to follow through to the
completion of a goal and not to becompletion of a goal and not to be
put off by competing interests andput off by competing interests and
other demandsother demands

17. Role of Executive ThinkingRole of Executive Thinking
and Guiding Skillsand Guiding Skills
 Not so much for day-to-dayNot so much for day-to-day
habits and routineshabits and routines
 To help you face newTo help you face new
challenges and resolve tochallenges and resolve to
pursue a goalpursue a goal

18. Developmental TasksDevelopmental Tasks
Requiring Executive SkillsRequiring Executive Skills
 PreschoolPreschool
 Running simple errands (get yourRunning simple errands (get your
shoes from the room)shoes from the room)
 Pack away thingsPack away things
 Perform simple chores and self-Perform simple chores and self-
help tasks with remindershelp tasks with reminders
 Inhibit behaviors: donInhibit behaviors: don’t touch hot’t touch hot
stove, don’t run into the street,stove, don’t run into the street,
don’t grab, hit, push, etcdon’t grab, hit, push, etc

19. Developmental TasksDevelopmental Tasks
Requiring Executive SkillsRequiring Executive Skills
 Kindergarten - grade 2Kindergarten - grade 2
 Run errands with 2-3 stepsRun errands with 2-3 steps
directionsdirections
 Tidy roomTidy room
 Simple choresSimple chores
 Deciding how to spend moneyDeciding how to spend money
 Inhibiting behaviors - follow safetyInhibiting behaviors - follow safety
rules, keep hands to selfrules, keep hands to self

20. School Related ExpectationsSchool Related Expectations
Requiring Executive SkillsRequiring Executive Skills
 Grades 1 - 3Grades 1 - 3
 Greater demand for sustainedGreater demand for sustained
concentrationconcentration
 Need for enhanced filtering ofNeed for enhanced filtering of
distractionsdistractions
 Initial stress on reflection, planningInitial stress on reflection, planning
and self-monitoringand self-monitoring
 Call for persistence and taskCall for persistence and task
completioncompletion
 Stress on consistency controlStress on consistency control

21. School Related ExpectationsSchool Related Expectations
Requiring Executive SkillsRequiring Executive Skills
 Grades 4 - 7Grades 4 - 7
 Less predictable information flowLess predictable information flow
 Explosion of decontextualizedExplosion of decontextualized
detailsdetails
 Growing social distractionsGrowing social distractions
 Need for attention on low interestNeed for attention on low interest
topicstopics
 Stress on extended mental effortStress on extended mental effort
 Planning and self-regulation is arePlanning and self-regulation is are
often demandedoften demanded

22. School Related ExpectationsSchool Related Expectations
Requiring Executive SkillsRequiring Executive Skills
 High schoolHigh school
 Multiple degrees of saliency inMultiple degrees of saliency in
informationinformation
 Heightened attention, memory,Heightened attention, memory,
language interactionslanguage interactions
 Growing affective distractionGrowing affective distraction
 Stress on previewing, pacing andStress on previewing, pacing and
self-monitoringself-monitoring
 Flexibility of bottom-up/top-downFlexibility of bottom-up/top-down
processingprocessing