Executive Functioning Disorder Laura Brady

Executive Functioning Disorder

This diagram shows the location of the frontal lobe, which is responsible for executive functioning.

What is executive functioning disorder?

A humorous example of what executive functioning disorder may look like in students.

Executive functioning refers to the set of process which enable a person to manage one's self and one's resources. These functions are controlled by the brain's frontal lobe and include a person's attention, impulse control, and organizational ability. They also allow a person to apply prior knowledge and experiences from the past to solve problems they encounter. While not considered a learning disability on its own, executive functioning disorder is often present in students with disabilities such as ADHD, dyslexia, and autism. Students with weak executive functioning skills will struggle with tasks such as planning a project, initiating tasks, time management, communicating details in a sequential manner, and organizing materials and priorities.

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A helpful chart of strategies to use with students who have executive functioning issues from Understood.com

What causes executive functioning disorder?

There is no conclusive research to explain why some children have executive functioning disorder, however there are some possible links, such as a person's genes/heredity. Another possible factor is a difference in the structure of a person's prefrontal cortex, which controls executive function. There has been research which shows that people who have experienced injury to this part of the brain develop executive functioning issues, and further research is being done to determine if children with executive functioning disorder have differences in the prefrontal cortex.

Signs A Child Has Executive Functioning Disorder:

Keeps a messy room and a disorganized desk
Has difficulty following sequential instructions
Has trouble sitting still when others don’t?
Needs to be nagged repeatedly to get ready to catch the bus
Fails to complete assignments unless you’re standing over him
Forgets to turn in homework even when it’s completed
Loses things regularly, from jackets to permission slips
Has a meltdown when it’s time to clean her room
Has difficulty planning and managing time
Fails to control his impulse to lash out when frustrated
Forgets to pay attention to where she’s going when talking on her phone
Engages in risk-taking or thrill-seeking behaviors

(List from Smart Kids with LD)

This video gives a thorough overview of Executive Functioning Disorder from The National Center for Learning Disabilities. It addresses the disorder's relationship to learning disorders, some of the warning signs for teachers and parents, as well as how executive function affects learning.

Resources

This video from the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University gives an overview of the paper Building the Brain's "Air Traffic Control" System: How Early Experiences Shape the Development of Executive Function. It discusses how executive functioning skills develop as well as the factors that can disrupt their development.