Maybe someone told you that success is reserved for those who work for it. If only you worked harder or tried more, you, too, could get good grades, better balance, and improved relationships with loved ones.
But it’s not that you won’t try harder — you can’t. Even when you were the hardest-working person in the room, you still ended up disappointed with your results.
Maybe you’re a student who wants to get better grades, but you need help to stay motivated in your classes. You do your homework most of the time but struggle with tests and quizzes.
Maybe you’re that student’s parent, tired of constantly nagging about homework or reminding them to do routine tasks. You’re worried your child isn’t living up to their potential or caring about their future as much as you do.
And if there’s a learning difference involved, this may feel extra-complicated. Most of the world is not designed with neurodivergent brains in mind.
We can all do hard things, but that doesn’t mean we have to do it in the hardest way possible.
What if executive function (EF) skills are the key factor you’re missing?
Executive function is an umbrella term to describe the underlying skills needed to get things done. The prefrontal cortex helps us determine what we want to do and how to progress toward that goal, but that part of the brain doesn’t fully develop until people are in their mid-20s. Learners with variable attention due to ADHD, anxiety, and other learning challenges may also lag significantly behind their peers in managing these complex processes. Many teens can feel incredibly overwhelmed as academic demands grow in middle and high school.
Our team of expert educators works with students of all ages to develop the tools, routines, and self-talk needed to get things done. We customize instruction to reach the individual needs of each learner, leveraging their strengths and looking for opportunities to build toward more success.
Our Friday newsletter is packed with executive function strategies you can use to build the savvy learners in your life.
As we learn more about the connection between working memory and executive function, learn 5 strategies to compensate for memory weaknesses.
Minds are busy places, and all of us—whether we struggle with executive functions or not—have lots of ideas for things we want to accomplish. But
Self-monitoring and self-management skills are the pinnacle of executive functioning. Students who engage in self-monitoring work toward a goal and reflect on how things are
