Executive functioning

This is the ability to recognise feelings and remain in control when experiencing strong emotions. In the classroom, a child may present with a difficulty with recognising how they are feeling, communicating this to an adult and expressing their emotions in a healthy and safe way. They may become quickly hyper-aroused. This may be frequent and for a long duration. They may try to eliminate the perceived threat, (fight) or escape from it (flight). A child may also become hypo-aroused. They may withdraw, go quiet, shut down, try to hide away.

This is the ability to adapt to change, to revise plans when faced with new information, obstacles or setbacks. In the classroom, a child may have difficulty moving from one activity to another. They may have difficulty coming into the classroom from outside. A child may struggle when there is an unexpected change to the usual routine.

This is the ability to persevere and follow a task through to completion.

In the classroom, a child may have difficulty persevering when a task appears challenging, or when they need to change their strategy.

This is the ability to step back and to monitor and evaluate your thinking and learning.

In the classroom, a child may have difficulties with editing their work, thinking about and evaluating the resources and strategies they have used. They may have difficulty with evaluating their own progress and considering next steps

This is the ability to design and maintain systems for tracking information and materials.

In the classroom, a child may lose their belongings, struggle to store resources where they can find them again, they may have difficulty remembering and organising to bring to school the things they need for the day.

This is the ability to create a plan, make decisions and prioritise for task completion.

In the classroom, a child may work chaotically through a task or be unsure of how to prioritise tasks.

This is the ability to stop and think before you act.

In the classroom, a child may may act impulsively. They may have difficulty in waiting their turn, or, staying in their seat or not calling out. They may say or do things before thinking about what the potential consequences of this are.

This is the ability to manage uncertainty, change and competing demands.

In the classroom, a child may become quickly overwhelmed in stressful situations. They may present as angry, tearful, anxious etc. They may struggle to make decisions. They may complain of stomach aches, headaches, nausea or dizziness. This may impact their eating, sleeping and energy levels. They may withdraw from friends.

This is the capacity to remain focussed and on task in spite of distractions or lack of interest.

In the classroom, a child may become easily distracted by noises, smells, movement, or the actions of others. They may also be distracted by their own thoughts.

This is the ability to begin a task in a timely fashion.

In class, a child may procrastinate, struggling to get started on a piece of work. They may have difficulty with knowing how to start a task.

This is the capacity to estimate and use time effectively.

In the classroom, a child may become absorbed in a task and loose track of time, they may spend too long on one part of the task and run out of time. They may be surprised when a task comes to an end.

This is the ability to hold information in mind whilst performing a complex task.

In the classroom, a child may find it difficult to follow multi-step instructions.
They may find it difficult to hold in mind the objective of the learning task.