Executive Skills and Your Child with Learning Disabilities - Page 3

6.   Planning and Setting Priorities — the ability to create steps to reach a goal and to make decisions about what to focus on.

Children who have difficulty planning and setting priorities are easily overwhelmed by complicated, multi-part tasks. They can’t independently impose structure and order on their ideas. They have trouble thinking through the steps required to achieve a goal. They tend to underestimate a project’s complexity and time requirements.

If your child needs help with this skill, she or he may

• come to class unprepared
• underestimate how much time and effort a project will take
• become overwhelmed trying to juggle multiple projects and classes
• have trouble identifying the main idea or most important information in what is read or heard

7.   Task Initiation (Getting Started) — the ability to recognize when it’s time to get started on something and then to begin without procrastinating.

A child who is weak in this skill will have trouble starting homework and will put off projects until the last minute. This child is sometimes seen as lazy or unmotivated — keep in mind that this child may procrastinate because he or she really doesn’t know how to start. Many children who have difficulty getting started also have trouble with planning and organizing. They get overwhelmed by all they have to do, so they don’t do anything.

If your child needs help with this skill, he or she may

• have trouble getting started even after being given directions and told to begin
• find reasons not to begin homework at the agreed-upon time
• be unable to complete three or four assignments in a row
• have difficulty following multi-step routines
• often turn assignments in late
• stare at a paper or screen, unable to begin writing

8.   Organization — the ability to create and maintain systems to keep track of information or materials.

This skill is closely tied to skills 6 and 7: planning and setting priorities and task initiation. Children lacking organizational skills lose permission slips, assignment sheets, notebooks, and library books. They do not notably improve their organizational skills as a consequence of their disorganization (for example, if they lose their homework, they get a failing grade). Children with poor skills in this area may understand the value of organization but are unable to discover ways to keep track of things.

If your child needs help with this skill, she or he may

• do homework but neglect to turn it in
• have trouble organizing their work and living space, materials, paperwork, and computer files
• come into class without needed materials
• often arrive late or turn in assignments late
• do sloppy or incomplete work

As schoolwork gets harder and students are asked to be more independent learners, children with weak executive skills fall further and further behind.

How Can I Help My Child?

Parents, in partnership with schools, can be enormously helpful in the improvement of children’s executive skills. Keep in mind, however, that there aren’t "one-size-fits-all" strategies for improving these skills. Because each child is on a slightly different developmental path and each child’s brain-based habits of thought will have varying strengths and weaknesses, you’ll need to work with your child’s teacher to personalize strategies that will best address your child’s needs. Directly teaching your child these skills, offering frequent reassurance, and giving clear, specific feedback are all essential. You might find it useful, as suggested by Joyce Cooper-Kahn and Laurie Dietzel in Late, Lost, and Unprepared, to think of both short-term and long-term strategies.

• Short-term strategies focus on the task itself and the home environment in which it will be done. They help your child be more successful on a daily basis. This, in turn, reduces the risk of depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem.

• Long-term strategies focus on strengthening your child’s executive skills over time so he or she will develop into a successful, independent adult.

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Bonnie Z. Goldsmith has worked in the field of education throughout her professional life. She has wide experience as a writer, editor, and teacher.

This article is made possible by a grant from the American Legion Child Welfare Foundation.

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Additional Resources

Late, Lost and Unprepared by Joyce Cooper-Kahn and Laurie Dietzel
Smart But Scattered by Peg Dawson and Richard Guare
Executive Function: A New Lens for Viewing Your Child
Braincogs.com
Inattentive and ADHD? It Might Be Misdiagnosed Executive Function Disorder