What is Executive Functioning?

Executive functioning skills are the foundation for learning and development. While we aren’t born with these skills, we are born with the potential to develop them through interactions and practice.

Foundational Skills include:

• Response Inhibition/Impulse Control  

• Working Memory  

• Emotional Control  

• Flexibility  

• Sustained Attention  

• Task Initiation

Advanced Skills include:

• Organization

• Planning/Prioritization

• Time Management

• Goal-Directed Persistence

• Metacognition (problem-solving, self-monitoring, self-evaluation) 

FOUNDATIONAL SKILLS

SKILL	DEFINITION	EXAMPLE
ResponseInhibition	Capacity to think before acting, to resist the urge to say or do something without first evaluating the situation and how our behavior might impact it	Child: waiting for a short period without being disruptive Teen: accepting a referee’s call without an argument
Working Memory	Ability to hold information in memory while performing complex tasks	Child: hold in mind and follow 1-2 step directions  Teen: remember the expectations of multiple teachers
Emotional Control	Ability to manage emotions in order to achieve goals, complete tasks, or control and direct behavior	Child: recover quickly from a disappointment Teen: manage the anxiety of a game or test and still perform
Flexibility	Ability to revise plans in the face of obstacles, setbacks, new information or mistakes	Child: adapt to a change in plans without major distress Teen: accept an alternative when the first choice is not available
Sustained Attention	Capacity to maintain attention to a task in spite of distractibility, fatigue, or boredom	Child: completing a 5-minute chore with occasional supervision  Teen: attend to homework, with short breaks, for 1-2 hours
Task Initiation	Ability to begin projects efficiently	Child: start a chore right after instructions are given Teen: not waiting until the last minute to begin a project

ADVANCED SKILLS

SKILL	DEFINITION	EXAMPLE
Organization	Ability to create and maintain systems to keep track of information or materials.	Child: with a reminder, can put toys in a designated place Teen: can organize and locate sports equipment
Planning/ Prioritizing	Ability to create a roadmap to reach a goal and make decisions about what is and isn’t important.	Child: with coaching, can think of options to settle a peer conflict Teen: can formulate a plan to get a job
Time Management	Capacity to estimate how much time one has, how to allocate it, and how to meet deadlines.	Child: can complete a brief task within a time limit set by an adult Teen: can establish a schedule to meet deadlines
Goal-Directed Persistence	Capacity to set and complete a goal without being sidetracked by competing interests	Child: can complete a job in order to get to recess Teen: can earn and save money over time to buy something of importance.
Metacognition	Ability to self-monitor and self-evaluate. How am I doing? How did I do?	Child: can change behavior in response to feedback from an adult  Teen: can monitor and critique own performance and improve by observing others who may be more skilled