Executive Function: Ask the Expert

At Top Tier Admissions, we often hear from families and students who are curious about executive function—what does it mean? And how do you improve these skills?

To learn more, we interviewed Shelly Levy, M.Ed., M.S., a leader in the field of learning development. Shelly is the Director of SMARTS Training & Educational Specialist at The Institute for Learning and Development in Lexington, MA. She has been in the field of Special Education for over 30 years.

EXECUTIVE FUNCTION: DEEP DIVE

What is executive function and how does it impact learning?

If you Google the term “executive function,” you might notice that EF is a hot topic. There are a lot of resources and definitions out there, with doctors, neuroscientists, researchers, psychologists, teachers, and parents all claiming that they have the official definition of EF and the best approach. Some researchers claim that there is only one executive function process while others say there are up to 39 executive function processes!

When it comes to supporting the success of all students, it’s important to use approaches to EF that are clear for everyone involved. The definition that we use at the Institutes of Learning and Development is based on the work and research of Dr. Lynn Meltzer, emphasizing translating both theory and research in a way that is easy to access for practitioners. Dr. Metlzer defines executive function (EF) as a broad term used to describe the complex cognitive processes that are the foundation for flexible, goal-directed behaviors. Key executive function processes include shifting flexibly (cognitive flexibility), goal setting, organizing and prioritizing, accessing working memory, as well as self-monitoring and self-checking.

Executive function processes are essential for academic success, and we use them every day. Starting from elementary school on, executive function processes affect many academic areas and are critically important for reading comprehension, written language, math problem solving, long-term projects, studying, and taking tests. In other words, everything we expect our teenagers to do every day in school.

The ability to engage with these executive function processes relies on students’ metacognition (also known as self-understanding); in fact, one cannot define executive function without also discussing metacognition. Metacognitive awareness refers to students’ understanding and beliefs of how they think and learn as well as the strategies they can use to complete specific tasks. Increased metacognitive awareness helps students stay motivated to master and use strategies in their daily classwork and homework. When students do not have executive function strategies, they lack an understanding of the way they learn best, their belief in their ability to succeed suffers, and they are unmotivated to put forth effort. When students know what strategies they need to be successful, they learn more about their personal strengths and challenges, which improves their belief in their abilities and motivates them to put in more effort particularly for challenging tasks.

What executive function skills should I expect to see in a high schooler? How can I tell if my child is behind?

We know that the brain does not finish developing and maturing until the mid to late 20’s. One of the last regions of the brain to mature is the prefrontal cortex which is the area of the brain responsible for executive function processes such as planning, prioritizing and controlling impulses. This developmental trajectory makes high school an important time for students to strengthen and improve their executive function skills, and the good news is that these skills can improve over time with explicit instruction. That said, there are variable developmental profiles among high school students; while some high school students might impress us with their organization and time management strategies, others struggle to keep up and feel overwhelmed by the increased levels of independence.

When trying to understand why one student is struggling while the other is thriving, it’s important to flesh out the EF expectations posed by the environment of the classroom and examine whether our high schoolers have the strategies and skills to succeed. High school students are often expected to complete long-term assignments, know how to study for tests, be able to prioritize their assignments, estimate how long familiar tasks will take, make a decision about what they will do when, and get their work completed and turned in on time. In order to succeed they will need to be able to set goals outlining the requisite steps to accomplish their goals.

In other words, they need the executive function skills of:

• cognitive flexibility: formulate different solutions to a problem and take the perspective of peers and teachers,
• time management: allocate time for homework and other commitments,
• planning and prioritizing: tackle assignments in order of importance and break down long term assignments,
• organization of materials and information: keep track of their materials at home and at school, manage digital files as well as organizing ideas for essays and research papers,
• self-monitoring and self-checking: be able to initiate a task and overcome the desire to procrastinate while sustaining attention for lengthy or challenging tasks,
•  metacognition: be able to reflect on their own learning and make choices as to which strategies will work.

If your high schooler is struggling in school and their academic grades do not reflect their intellectual ability, a lack of executive function strategies could be the culprit. We call this the “clogged funnel” effect (Meltzer, 2018). When students’ funnels are clogged, they cannot think clearly and they feel overwhelmed. Some examples of a clogged funnel are when students complete their homework, but forget to turn it in; they may know the material, however leave a question blank or not answer all parts of a question, or they may not know where to begin on a project and procrastinate until they are so far behind it will not be completed by the due date.

Explicit instruction in executive function strategy instruction will help your high schoolers to become strategic learners and shore up their areas of challenge.

What can a parent do to help a teenager with executive function issues?

There are a number of ways you can support your teenager with executive function issues.

The first approach is to open the lines of communication and find out what is going on for your teenager. Ask questions. Let them know that “we are all in this together” and approach the conversation with curiosity in a non-judgmental way. It is important to keep the lines of communication open while you are working together to figure out the best way to move forward.

If your child is receptive to your support, help them create a comprehensive list of assignments on a Google doc that can be shared and updated. Teachers post assignments in different ways and in different places and it is important to have a list of assignments in one place to keep track of what needs to get done. Encourage your child to check Google classroom or portal they are using daily and to check the missing assignment tab. 

Discuss where the best place is for them to study and help your teenager find a quiet spot to do homework with everything they need for uninterrupted production time. A time when all distractions are removed.

Help your child break down assignments into small, manageable parts. A long-term project can be overwhelming and difficult to know where to start. Help your teenager create a timeline with incremental due dates, checking in along the way. Encourage them to reach out to their teachers with any questions they have about the project as they progress through the steps to completion.

Recognize progress and celebrate the small wins. Your teenager is striving to be independent and wants you and their teachers to be proud of them. Acknowledge their efforts as there are sure to be bumps along the way.

For many parents, it may be more effective to hire an executive function coach or educational specialist to support your teenager and teach them the executive function strategies they may be lacking. The executive function support can be directly applied to their academic work and will set them up for success in high school, college and beyond.

How does anxiety affect executive function? ADHD?

It probably won’t surprise you that anxiety affects our executive function processes in a negative way.  Anxiety is a physiological response to negative thoughts and beliefs. When experiencing heightened anxiety and stress, the prefrontal cortex, which is the area of the brain responsible for executive function processes such as planning, prioritizing and controlling impulses, shuts down and does not let us see the big picture. Think about how you feel when you are late to work, trying to get the kids out the door, and you can’t find your keys. It can be difficult to think straight until you take a moment to breathe and calm down. It feels like our IQ actually goes down a few points when we are anxious!

For those with ADHD, the combination of anxiety and executive function challenges can make their experience even more difficult. ADHD differs from anxiety disorders in that teens with ADHD typically struggle with organizational problems, working memory challenges, and impulse control. In fact, Dr. Thomas Brown says that ADHD is a disorder of “executive control.” Executive function challenges and delays also make it more difficult for teenagers with ADHD to manage their feelings. If they continue to struggle academically or socially, over time anxiety can develop adding to their challenges of executive function.

The good news is that providing your teen with the proper supports such as a therapist and executive function coach as warranted can help your teen learn strategies to both manage their anxiety and strengthen their executive function.

What is the role of an executive function coach? Who would benefit most from this resource?

The role of an executive function coach is to empower students who are independent, confident, and who have a clear understanding of who they are as learners. Executive function coaching is delivered within the context of an educational therapy relationship between the student and the executive function coach; this helps to foster strong emotional self-regulation, including the ability to take risks, try new strategies, and approach novel tasks with confidence. A step-by-step approach to building skills and executive function strategies includes modeling, coaching, scaffolding, reflecting on strategy use while making sure there is time for internalizing and generalizing of the strategies learned to both home and school settings.

The executive function coaching process will work on skills to:

• Overcome procrastination and avoid distractions to improve time management
• Plan, prioritize, and break down long-term assignments into manageable parts
• Develop effective and efficient study and note taking strategies
• Organize and maintain their backpack, work environment, notebooks, assignments and other materials
• Create personalized and systematic writing systems.

Any individual who is experiencing challenges withorganization (of materials, time, information), time management (difficulty getting started, procrastinating, turning work in on time), academic challenges (lacking persistence, doing poorly on tests and assignments),and/or emotional regulation (unable to resist distractions, difficulty settling down to work, or gives up on challenging tasks) would greatly benefit from explicit instruction in executive function strategies.

Shelly Levy is Director of SMARTS Training & Educational Specialist at the Institutes of Learning and Development in Lexington, MA. She has been in the field of Special Education for over 30 years and worked as a reading and learning specialist with the majority of her career as a Director of Support Services. As Director of SMARTS Training, she leads professional development training and webinars on executive function strategy instruction, the implementation of the SMARTS Executive Function Curriculum, and provides coaching to general education and special education teachers across the country.

As an Educational Specialist, Shelly works with students of all ages, elementary age through college, who struggle with learning, attention, and executive function challenges. She provides specialized instruction and academic support in the areas of reading, writing, test preparation, and executive function skills. As a trained Mindfulness Teacher, she uses mindfulness as part of her educational therapy to promote self-regulation and wellness. She believes strongly that with the right approach, patience, and explicit instruction that every individual can succeed.