In this article, Laura demonstrates how Executive Functioning (EF) in young children impacts learning and development. Specifically, how a lack of skill in this area leads to challenges for the child and challenging behaviors.
This article provides four key pieces of information: 1) defines EF skills and the role the brain’s development plays in their formation, 2) practices that may support their development, and 3) practices that may impede executive function skills from developing. From there, adults have the foundation for implementing teachings to develop this important set of skills. What’s more, Laura places particular focus on how these skills may impact children with special needs and differing abilities.
Why focus on Executive Functioning in Young Children?
Quite simply because executive function skills are the “how” of learning that support the “what.” Consider this definiton: executive funtions skills include the ability to plan, initiate, organize and carry out activites; doing so while regulating emotions, resolving conflicts as they arise, and tracking one’s efforts. See what I mean? Important skills! And yet, EF rarely comes up when I talk to adults coming to me about challenging behavior. This set of skills seems to lack widepread understanding.
Until now. Laura provides trainings on this important set of skills, including helping adults understand the brain research that supports the importance of attending to these skills.
Executive Functioning in Young Children originally appeared in The Special EDge, a newsletter funded by the California Department of Education, Special Ed Division. For more about this topic, watch this brief clip of Laura’s training on Executive Function Skills in Young Children.