How to Take Control Back With Executive Functioning Training

Recent research has revealed some interesting facts about academic success, and it might surprise you to learn that it’s not all about intelligence or IQ.

There is another factor: executive functioning. Researchers in 2023 found that poor executive functioning skills were associated with poor performance in nearly all academic subjects, including mathematics and literacy.

If you are concerned about your child’s academic progress and wonder whether they lack core skills like time management or concentration, read on. This article will explain the importance of executive functioning training and how it could help your child thrive in their academic life.

What Is Executive Functioning?

Executive functioning is a mental skill set that your child needs as they grow older to manage everyday aspects of life and the pressure of more senior academic demands, such as exams and college. It includes skills such as:

• Being organized
• Controlling impulses
• Completing tasks
• Working to deadlines

All these functions are managed by the front part of the brain, also known as the frontal lobe. It’s the part of our brain that helps us:

• Stay focused
• Plan activities
• Follow instructions

It becomes increasingly relevant in life as you move from childhood to adulthood.

For students, good executive function helps them:

• Meet homework deadlines
• Learn how to balance different demands, such as work and friendship
• Adhere to a daily routine

A lack of executive functioning skills can manifest in several ways. A child might seem overly forgetful or disorganized. They may also appear distracted at school or struggle to keep up with their work, even if they are intellectually capable.

This all comes down to how well the brain processes and manages the many tasks that daily life often presents to us.

But there is some good news. Lack of executive functioning is reversible, and any child or teen can strengthen and improve these skills with the right approach.

How Cognitive Skills Improvement Links to Academic Success

As a parent, you’ll want your child to excel academically at school and beyond, particularly if they plan to attend college. There have probably been times when you’ve found it stressful and frustrating to support your child, whether that’s difficulty getting them to do their homework or finding out they’ve forgotten an essential book as they get ready to leave the house for school.

Academic success relies on more than innate intelligence and subject knowledge. To excel in any academic environment, you must possess strong executive functioning skills. You need qualities such as:

• A strong working memory
• Organizational skills like prioritizing schoolwork
• Cognitive flexibility, which means adapting to new tasks
• Good time management to ensure school projects aren’t left until the last minute
• Inhibitory control, which means you can avoid distractions like social media
• Ability to start important tasks without procrastinating

When a teenager has excellent executive functioning skills, they will often show many of these characteristics, and you’ll probably find teachers describing them as a diligent student.

Good organizational skills mean there is less family stress, and children can become more independent, with parents trusting them to complete tasks rather than constantly looking over their shoulders.

Overall, developing executive functioning skills can be a game-changer for children and their families.

Warning Signs That Your Child Is Struggling

It’s not always obvious when a child is struggling with their executive functioning skills. Sometimes, an intelligent or well-behaved child may seem to excel academically and socially, so you may overlook some of their weaker areas that could indicate they aren’t reaching their full potential.

Here are some of the most common warning signs that your child or teenager needs help with their executive functioning skills:

They Often Procrastinate

Do you find your child suddenly develops the urge to tidy their room when a major school project is due? Or perhaps you asked them to clean their room many days ago and have been met with multiple excuses about other “urgent” tasks they need to complete first. That is a sign of procrastination.

Forgetting Important Tasks or Dates

Does your child panic the night before a forgotten exam or call you at work because they have forgotten to take their gym clothes or lunch money to school? Forgetfulness can feel like a frustrating trait, but it actually points to issues with executive functioning.

Trouble Following Instructions

Children often do better with single instructions rather than multi-step ones, but they should improve with age. If you find that your child is still struggling to remember more than one step when you give them instructions, this could be a sign that they need help with their executive functioning.

Difficulty Regulating Emotions

Sudden outbursts of anger or frustration, signs of stress, and a lack of impulse control are all symptoms of a child not fully utilizing their executive functions. It’s a warning sign that there is work to do in this area.

Inconsistent Performance

A helpful way to identify problems with executive functioning skills is to examine your child’s academic performance. If they tend to swing from exceptional scores to mediocre ones, it’s a sign that they aren’t reaching their full potential. Executive functioning skills could be an underlying cause.

Executive Functioning Skills: Do Children Develop These Naturally?

It’s tempting to think that most children will develop executive functioning skills naturally and that for some children, extra time is needed for them to mature and become more organized.

While it’s true that the prefrontal cortex begins to mature during teenage years and early adulthood, it doesn’t always solve the problem of a lack of executive functioning skills. Many teenagers find that with age comes more responsibility and demands, and the stress of this can leave students overwhelmed.

That can be especially a risk for children with a neurodivergent diagnosis.

Executive functioning skills are rarely something that’s taught in school. Furthermore, the modern world is filled with distractions, from constant phone notifications to the endless scroll of social media platforms.

That’s why, as a parent, you need to take a more proactive approach to executive functioning skills.Working on these skills using proven strategies and proper training can help your child lay a foundation for a more organized and successful academic life in their teenage years and early adulthood.

How Coaching Can Help Kids Manage Tasks

Executive functioning training can help children tackle one of the significant problem areas: managing tasks without feeling overwhelmed. Executive function techniques can help children face this challenge head-on, guiding them on how to:

• Break up big tasks into more manageable, smaller tasks
• Show children how to map out what needs to be done
• Explain how to prioritize tasks
• Develop a repeatable process that they can use day in, day out

This approach can help children, and therefore parents, feel more in control of everyday challenges.Children are less likely to forget something essential or rush through tasks at the last minute, which can lead to panic and stress.

Over time, this boosts children’s confidence, making them feel more capable of achieving their most ambitious goals. As a parent, you’ll find fewer instances of your child shutting down when you ask them to do something, and there will be fewer instances of procrastination.

Coaching Children on Time Management Skills

Helping children learn how to navigate deadlines and manage their time is an excellent way to improve their executive functioning skills.

Time management goes beyond planning your day and is more about:

• Learning how to prioritize
• Keeping track of your progress
• What to do if you get behind

A trained coach can help your child develop a time management strategy that aligns with their :

• Personality
• Family life
• Long-term goals

That might start with some work to assess how they currently spend their time, which can identify gaps and problem areas. Coaches can introduce proven tools, such as visual planning or digital reminders, that help children stay on top of their tasks.

Children and teens can feel more in control of how they spend their time and experience a sense of achievement in completing more tasks.It means saying goodbye to the stress of racing against the clock every time an approaching deadline looms.

Creating Routines That Work

It can be a challenge for any child or teen to create a routine and stick to it, yet it’s a life skill that will become invaluable when they reach adulthood. Executive functioning training can help children establish a routine that works for them and is easy to maintain.

Training is about building good habits and being consistent with them, such as taking small steps in the morning to make the rest of the day run more smoothly. It’s also about avoiding distractions that can interfere with routines, such as:

• Late nights
• Excessive screen time
• Chaotic schedules

The key to an effective routine is personalizing it so that it offers a balance and works for the individual. It should help children stay calm and focused without adding too much pressure or stress.

Structure in childhood isn’t restrictive. On the contrary, the structure actually helps children build independence. So, it’s a crucial way to invest in your child’s future.

Brain Training: How to Stay Focused in a World of Distractions

There has never been an era where children face the distractions available today due to the rapid rise in addictive technology. Whether it’s social media, movie streaming, gaming, or phone notifications from friends, many people find it challenging to stay focused on a single task and ignore the distractions that surround them.

This is a uniquely modern problem and requires real solutions, which is where coaching can help.

Executive function coaching can help teens develop better and deeper focus, as well as an increased attention span, much like exercising a muscle to make it stronger. A trained coach can help children understand what triggers these focus drifts and how to avoid them, such as working in distraction-free zones or using timed bursts to get through study time.

Improved concentration can make a significant difference in later life, whether helping children pass college exams or enabling them to become high performers in the workplace.

How Coaching Helps Children Regulate Their Emotions

Disorganization can often lead to stress, which affects children and their families. This can also make it harder for children to regulate their emotions, a common challenge in adolescence. Emotional regulation is about handling intense feelings like:

• Anxiety
• Frustratio
• A sense of overwhelm

Coaching can help children develop skills like emotional awareness, monitoring their feelings before they escalate, and using strategies such as breathing and mindfulness to manage them.

A trained coach can offer a judgment-free space for children, helping them develop strategies that can lead to healthier responses to common triggers and daily challenges. Emotional resilience can help children:

• Grow
• Strive for higher academic goals
• Manage stress along the way

Executive Function Coaching: What to Expect

Peak Academic Coaching is there to help you with your middle or high school child. We can listen to their needs and concerns, guide them with simple strategies that will enable them to take control of their time and help them find focus in school.

The process begins with a consultation, during which we’ll assess your child’s academic situation and their specific needs. The coaching is then personalized to help each child find the methods that will enable them to thrive and overcome their most challenging obstacles, whether that’s:

• Avoiding procrastination
• Improving time management
• Staying motivated

Sessions can be tailored to specific subjects or provide a broader level of support to help your child develop better habits, structure, and focus.

Executive Functioning Training: Take the First Step Today

Don’t leave your child’s academic success to chance or natural ability. Take control of the situation with executive functioning training and help them acquire vital life skills that will provide the best opportunities to thrive in school, college, and their future career.

Take the first step now by booking a free consultation with Peak Academic Coaching. We help students reach their potential by developing the skills they need to perform at their peak. Our coaching is structured, evidence-based, and personalized, helping children and their families to have more control and calm in their school lives and beyond.