Educator Paulette Chaffee Says These Signs Indicate a Child May Need Help with Their Executive Functioning Skills

When children develop, they acquire specific skill sets over time that aid in multiple areas of life and into adulthood. For example, Paulette Chaffee, an educator and children's advocate, says that executive functioning skills are necessary for successful progression in children's academic careers.

Executive functioning skills are mental skills that each individual develops over time and often at different rates. These skills, which include time management, memory, emotional regulation, and task execution, function in the brain similarly to a command center. Children who think or learn differently, such as those with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), commonly struggle with executive functioning skills. Below are a few signs that indicate a child might need assistance with building executive functioning skills:

Sign #1: Frustration

Everyone experiences frustration, but those who need help with executive functioning skills often show signs of easily triggered frustration around preschool age. If a young child who struggles with executive functioning skill development becomes frustrated quickly and often, they might show that frustration through frequent tantrums sparked by minor instances or throwing objects rather than asking for help.

The lack of ability to control emotions leads a child to act out due to difficulty expressing feelings. Showing a heightened level of frustration over the small things an average individual might not get frustrated about continues to be present in a child as they age. In middle school, a child having trouble with executive functioning skills might continue to get frustrated and upset over little things like facing the fact that a favorite snack is no longer available and needs to be replenished in the cabinet.

Sign #2: Forgetfulness

Like frustration, forgetfulness can occur more frequently for students wrestling with executive functioning skills. Executive functioning skills include verbal and non-verbal working memory, so difficulties developing them affect these areas, resulting in a continuous battle with memory.

Later in life, such forgetfulness turns into forgetting tasks and homework, not remembering to bring home essential materials or books needed for an assignment, or lacking memory when remembering key details and names. Multi-step math or word problems are also challenging due to the inability of a child to remember instructions with multiple steps and finding those types of instructions hard to follow.

Another sign of forgetfulness is if a lost and found bin at school is filled with a child's possessions such as jackets, books, glasses, pencil cases, notebooks, binders, and anything else the child might be responsible for remembering to keep up with daily.

Sign #3: Easily Distracted

Due to being easily distracted, students needing aid with executive functioning skills tend to have trouble beginning and completing a task. Distractions can also include a child having intentions and then not following through, such as wanting to schedule a hang-out session with friends but never getting around to making it happen. Distraction can result in impulsive actions, too.

Sign #4: Struggles with Time Management

Not being able to keep track of time is another sign revealing a lack of executive functioning skills. For example, students might fall short of meeting time requirements during specific tests like short-answer or take twice the time to complete a science lab.

Harvard Medical School recommended promising interventions such as cognitive training, neurofeedback, mindfulness, and physical activity to help with executive functioning skills. In addition, popular cognitive training computerized programs like Cogmed and neurofeedback like Mightier are child-friendly and effective options to help progress impulse control and working memory.

About Paulette Chaffee

Paulette Chaffee is an educator, children's advocate, grants facilitator, lawyer, and member of various non-profit boards. She obtained bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Redlands in Communicative Disorders and a California Lifetime Teaching Credential. She is currently the Ambassador for Orange County 4th District and a board member of All the Arts for All the Kids.

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