5 Tips to Support a Child with Executive Functioning Issues Without Being an Expert
If you have a neurodivergent child at home or in your classroom, you’re probably all too familiar with the issue of executive functioning. Let’s be honest, if you’re a parent or teacher in 2024, you’re probably familiar with the struggle of executive functioning. ADHD rates nearly doubled between 1997 and 2016 and, with the onslaught of stimulation for kids only continuing to rise at an alarming pace, attention spans will continue to decrease while executive functioning issues will continue to increase. If you have the resources for an executive functioning coach, thats great, but if you don’t, here’s a few things you can do to help your child (or students) with executive functioning without being an expert.
Create habits and routines
Most children with executive functioning issues are overstimulated whether they have a neurodivergence or not. At the same time, a child with ADHD can feel like they are being involuntarily pulled in a dozen different directions at once. Creating rock solid structure through habits and routines can help your child feel grounded and focused. The familiarity of patterns and the comfort of knowing what comes next can help your child tune out unwanted distractions.
Create Lists
Lists, like habits and routines, allow a child to see the route in front of them and gives them a guide to follow. The best advice I can give to parents and teachers is to begin teaching your children to make lists from a young age. Even when they’re too young to do it themselves you can begin teaching them. Going to the grocery store? Actively involve them in creating that list and then have them cross items off when you find them at the store. This skill will prove invaluable as they get older as lists can be a great way to help them organize their thoughts and tasks.
Simplify Tasks and Directions
A big task can be daunting for a child struggling with executive functioning. They can often focus on the overwhelming size of the project or task, leaving them at best confused, or at worst, intimidated and spiraling. When facing any task with multiple steps (no matter how simple it may seem to you) break down the project into the smallest steps possible. Whether the child is working on spelling homework or an AP Lit essay, the first step is to get your pen and paper.
Frequent Breaks
Remember when you were a kid and waiting with your mom at the bank for 15 minutes felt like an eternity? That’s nothing compared to a child today who is used to having near constant stimulation. It’s vitally important to schedule frequent breaks into a child’s workload. Remember, oftentimes, their brain is processing information differently from you and what feels normal to you can feel extremely stressful to them. Regular breaks allow for their brain to reset, rest and recover. Breaks also provide a great way for you to…
Encourage Movement
Attention deficit disorders can so often lead to children who feel physically understimulated. Their brain is experiencing stressors that cause tension in their body that needs to be released. They need to fidget, they need to wiggle, they need to move! In fact there have been numerous studies that show fidgeting can actually help attention span and increase focus and retention. But beyond that, its important to make sure your child is up and out of their chair as much as possible. They should be walking, interacting and using their motor skills. Just like frequent breaks, this will help their brain work with the body to process excess tension.
Working with a child who struggles with executive functioning can be overwhelming. When a child labors to behave and perform tasks that we see as rudimentary, we can be at a loss as to where to start to support them. But you don’t have to be an expert to help them. Try these methods and see how your child responds. If you are a parent or teacher struggling to support your neurodivergent children join our Inclusive Learning Community on Facebook.
