Do you ever look at a student and wonder, “What were they thinking?” Sometimes you just want to throw up your hands in confusion, but you gotta give a kid a break because it may be that their executive skills are on the fritz.
There are always those kiddos who’ve got their papers out of order, backwards or upside down.
Or even scrunched up at the back of their desks.
In my class completed and uncompleted assignments were stored in binders. I gave them organizers and taught them how to use them. We practiced how to put things in the binders and how to find things in the binder.
We did this because many children are diagnosed with ADHD, but not necessarily early on. And many children do not have ADHD and still struggle with binder organization because of weak Executive Skills. So we did this to support skill development for all of my students.
That is the purpose of today’s blog.
I will share:
- What are executive skills?
- Why executive skills matter
- How do executive skills impact students with ADHD?
- What do the executive skills look like in the classroom for students?
- Teaching executive functioning skills in the classroom
But there is one caution before we get started. Not all students with ADHD experience struggles with their Executive Skills, and not all students who struggle with their Executive Skills have ADHD.
Diagnosing ADHD is not a part of our training nor our role. However, the strategies I suggest here are valuable for all students because they are life skills that all students need.
What are Executive Skills?
Executive skills (ES), also called executive functions (EF) or even executive functioning skills, are the mental processes that enable us to manage our thoughts, behaviors, and emotions to reach our goals. They encompass a range of abilities such as:
- Planning
- Organizing
- Regulating actions
- Remembering instructions
- Maintaining focus.
These skills are crucial for success in school, work, and everyday life. Think of them as the brain’s command center, guiding our students through both the simple and complex parts of their school day.
EF challenges are not just “choice” or “willpower” issues—there’s brain-based work going on too. The support you offer students is essential, but remember to be patient too. Assume the student is doing their best.
Why Executive Skills Matter
Executive skills are the invisible conductors that help students orchestrate various aspects of their daily lives. Things like:
- Organizing their homework folders
- Raising a hand to answer a question
- Maintaining focus during storytime.
These skills empower kids to effectively manage:
- Tasks
- Emotions
- Social interactions.
Imagine a child using post-it notes to plan their day or tackling a challenging math problem step-by-step; that’s the power of executive skills at work.
As teachers, we want to teach and practice these qualities with our students. This will enhance their academic journey, and empower them to become more self-sufficient individuals.
How Do Executive Skills Impact Students?
For children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), the classroom can present unique challenges. ADHD can make focusing, organizing, and completing tasks feel like climbing a steep mountain.
Understanding executive skills is essential. By recognizing and assisting with the areas where these students might struggle, we create a classroom environment that’s inclusive and supportive.
If you design your lessons, routines and procedures to support the development of executive skills, all of your students will benefit and you will have created an inclusive environment. Especially realizing that some students may not have a formal diagnosis, and other students may not be neurodivergent but they need the instruction in these areas too.
What Do the Executive Skills Look Like in the Classroom for Students?
One blog post is not long enough to provide all of the scenarios you may face.
My hope is to equip you with enough information to be able to identify some of the challenges your students may be facing, and to provide you with strategies that help your students thrive. I have every confidence you can extrapolate from there.
This involves patience, creativity, and a touch of compassion, ensuring every child feels seen and supported.
Following are the main executive skills to be aware of, along with examples of how they might manifest in a primary classroom and strategies for support. However, it is important to note that what a teacher observes (behavioural indicators) may not map one-to-one with specific neuropsychological EF tests.
In other words, observe and implement, but remember that correlation does not equal causation. The reality that you observe these things means they are teachable areas, but not necessarily neurologically connected.
Inattention:
- What the student is struggling with – Keeping focused on tasks and instructions.
- How it manifests – A student might struggle to stay focused on a story being read aloud.
- How to support the student – Allow them to draw the story as you read it, then have your students share their drawings with each other. This is also a great comprehension activity!
Hyperactivity:
- What the student is struggling with – Managing restless energy.
- How it manifests – A child may find it difficult to sit still during circle time.
- How to support the student – Incorporate movement throughout the day. Allow students to stand at circle time. Make sure to have expectations in place, and carry through.
Task Initiation & Completion:
- What the student is struggling with – Starting and finishing work independently.
- How it manifests – A student could have trouble starting or finishing a drawing activity independently.
- How to support the student – Check in to make sure they understand the task, ask them a few questions to get them started, and let the whole class know when time to finish is approaching, or have a countdown clock on the board if it does not cause anxiety.
Organization & Planning:
- What the student is struggling with – Structuring activities and materials.
- How it manifests – A child might need help organizing their desk or backpack.
- How to support the student – Set aside time to organize desks as a class, and make it collaborative. But make sure each student is doing their own work, the peer is just their to answer questions or do what they are asked to do.
Emotional Regulation:
- What the student is struggling with – Handling emotions in a healthy way.
- How it manifests – A student may become easily frustrated when a game doesn’t go as planned.
- How to support the student – Teach self regulation strategies, review expectations at the beginning of games, check in on the game if the student is showing signs of escalation, acknowledge students who are showing good sportsmanship as a reminder to all.
Working Memory and Processing Speed:
- What the student is struggling with – Juggling information efficiently
- How it manifests – A child might forget the steps in a multi-step art project.
- How to support the student – Complete each step in the art project ahead of time, review steps, put them up on the whiteboard, brainstorm tools needed and procedures for getting them.
Time Blindness:
- What the student is struggling with – Understanding and managing time
- How it manifests – A student could lose track of time during free play and struggle to transition.
- How to support the student – Review expectations ahead of time, put a timer on, give students a two minute warning, determine consequences for not stopping at the beginning of the year, and carry through.
Flexibility:
- What the student is struggling with – Adapting to changes smoothly.
- How it manifests – A child may find it challenging to adapt when the schedule changes unexpectedly.
- How to support the student – whenever possible tell your whole class as far ahead as reasonable and possible, and mark it on the calendar. When the change is unexpected, review expectations, and if necessary, remind students of self-regulation strategies prior to sharing the schedule change.
Social Skills:
- What the student is struggling with – Communicating effectively with peers.
- How it manifests – A student might have difficulty joining in group play or sharing toys even when you have worked hard to build classroom community.
- How to support the student – Create a safe, supportive and inclusive environment by having expectations around sharing and inclusion, and provide supports like partner cards to build relationships with others.
Research supports working memory and inhibition as most commonly impaired.
Teaching Executive Functioning Skills in the Classroom
All children are developing their executive skills, the difference for students with ADHD is that their skills may be developmentally delayed relevant to their peers.
Knowing this as teachers, means we understand that our role is to nurture these skills with empathy and understanding for all of our students. Some days might call for innovative approaches, like turning organization tasks into fun games or allowing ‘brain breaks’ for restless learners. Your patience and creativity can transform challenges into empowering milestones for your students.
What is the Role of Executive Function in ADHD?
Many experts agree that executive function challenges may significantly affect individuals who have ADHD. We may notice this when we see that they struggle with problems related to executive functions, such as memory, attention, and organization.
The small adjustments we, as teachers, make today will have a lasting impact on your students’ futures. By supporting the development of strong executive skills, you’re not just teaching academics; you’re crafting lifelong problem solvers and resilient community members.
The good news? We’re not just guessing: EF can be supported, improved, and scaffolded. Your consistent routines, binder training, check-ins are all aligned with what research encourages.
I encourage you to embrace this journey with compassion and confidence, knowing you’re shaping the builders of tomorrow.
Let’s continue to empower and inspire our young learners, one skill at a time. Your dedication makes a world of difference!
What are some executive skills challenges you have faced? How did you support the students? I’d love to hear in the comments below.
