Executive Function

Why can’t he “Just do It”? The Art of Initiation

As adults, we sometimes become frustrated seeing kids not “doing” as they are supposed to.  I find it helpful to recognize that the problem is often not one of “Doing”, rather one of “Getting started”. When I teach teachers and parents about Executive Function skills, the skill I always begin with is Initiation.  I know that many children (and adults!) have a hard time just getting started. What I have learned through the years is that we are more successful “Getting Started” when … Read more

How Fast is Smart?

If you ask most children how they know who the smartest kids in class are, they will often respond that they are the ones who raise their hands the quickest and turn in their tests the fastest. Assumption: Speed equals Intelligence. Before I address the implications of this assumption, let’s look at one of the Executive Function skills known as Processing Speed. Processing Speed is how quickly one can carry out simple or automatic cognitive and motor tasks. We rely … Read more