Executive Function
Executive Functions: The Make-It-Happen Skill Set
“I know my daughter is very intelligent… why don’t her grades tell that story?”
“My son wants his freedom and responsibility, but he just can’t keep his life organized!”
Do these thoughts sound familiar? Many parents are at a loss to reconcile areas of strength and weakness in their children. But major advances in brain science in the last two decades have given us a new understanding of how to help students build the skills to turn thought into action.
Executive functions are a basket of related skills that help students (and humans!) plan, organize, and accomplish the tasks of daily life. We now recognize eleven distinct executive function skills:
Working Memory
Flexibility
Organization
Planning
Initiation
Time Management
Perseverance
Response Inhibition
Emotional Control
Focus
Metacognition
None of these skills specifically link to what many parents think of as “intelligence,” but it’s easy to understand how critical they are to demonstrating intelligence.
We Can Help
The Moser Executive Function Program has distilled decades of research by dozens of educators, brain scientists, and psychologists into an accessible tool kit to help students master these valuable skills. Like musicians building muscle memory or athletes building strength and speed, students can build thinking habits that make them more focused studiers, more effective learners, and more organized young adults. And these are not just the skills of successful students. They are the lifelong skills of successful adults.
Consult. Assess. Train. Support.
Our process starts with a conversation. We want to hear about the areas where our students want to grow. The initial conversation then turns into an in-depth assessment of strengths and weaknesses. We ask students, parents, and teachers to bring their own perspectives to the table in order to build a complete picture of each student. We then formulate a program to build skills in a few key areas and begin an intensive period of training and support. At first, we help our students every step of the way. But our goal is to be a springboard, not a crutch, so we soon begin tapering our sessions with students and lengthening the time between check-ins as they develop the habits to be successful on their own.
Will My Student Benefit from EF Coaching?
Every student is working on improving executive function skills. In fact, parts of the brain closely linked to EF do not fully develop until about age 25! No student can be on top of every demand, all of the time. However, when one of these skills presents as an obstacle that is holding a student back, some help may be in order. If you agree with any of the following statements, it may be worth a chat with us about how to build your student’s skills.
My student:
Frequently forgets homework at school or at home
Loses focus on homework and takes far longer than she should
Forgets to turn in assignments
Struggles with planning long-term projects
Gets excessively frustrated with changes to established routines
Has difficulty controlling his impulses
Struggles to start her homework
Can’t seem to stay organized
Needs constant reminders to accomplish tasks
Students can fill out this form to help us better understand in which EF areas we can assist them.
Parents can fill out this form to help us better understand in which EF areas we can assist their child.
We're Here to Help!
As students move through middle school and high school, the demands on them continue to increase. Students with weak executive function skills often fall behind in school work, family responsibilities, and other commitments. Focusing on growth now can be the path to better lifelong outcomes.
We focus on goals that students and parents share: more independence, stronger self-confidence, better opportunities. We guide students toward the skills they need while helping them to recognize that they are working toward their own goals.
See why the Moser name is trusted by families and schools alike. Call today for a free consultation!
Fill out a form and receive an in-depth consultation free of charge.
Call our Founder and President, Scott Moser, to discuss your student’s goals and needs.