TEXT ANN
ANN DOLIN
TEXT DOLIN
T ime management, organization, studying and planning
And frustrations can run high. It’s not uncommon for these kids to
students they conjure fear of the unknown. These
know they need the help.

ahead are not the most exciting of ideas, but for some
feelings may be more deeper rooted than being simply
overwhelmed or for a dislike of school. The anxiety caused by
time management or organization may be a sign of an executive
functioning deficit.

Executive functioning skills help with focus, self-control, planning
and resisting distractions. These skills allow people to juggle
multiple things in their mind at one time, and are important for
school. For example, when writing an essay, can you remember to
capitalize the letters, use proper punctuation, spell the words
really pushback towards their parents’ overtures, even when they
But, there are things parents can do to help ensure their child’s
success. If you suspect your child has some executive functioning deficits,
the first step is to realize that tasks like focusing and planning
ahead are just going to be harder for your child than other kids.

It’s not that your kid wakes up one morning and says, “You know
what? I’m just going to really aggravate my mom,” or “I’m going
to frustrate my dad.”
Kids want to please. They want to do a good job, but things like
correctly and also make sure your writing makes sense? If you can,
staying organized and focused are just innately difficult for them.

you probably have good executive functioning skills.

Help your child create a mental to-do list for what he has to
Executive functioning skills also have to do with a thought process:
finishing something, starting something new, planning ahead and
staying organized along the way. Executive functioning skills get
better as kids age.

Kids who have executive functioning difficulties often have a hard
time staying organized. A messy backpack, forgetfulness with
assignments, or bringing home the wrong materials from school,
might all be struggles with executive functioning skills.

Long-term planning is often very difficult for these students.

If an assignment is due two weeks from now, they have a hard
time breaking it down into smaller, more manageable chunks. In
addition, kids with weak executive functioning skills might have
a hard time focusing and putting effort into homework, especially
when it’s really not interesting to them. They might even be able to
just focus for five or 10 minutes before they lose track.

Issues with a child’s executive functioning skills are actually very
closely related to Attention Deficit Disorder or Attention Deficit
Hyper Disorder.

A child could have ADD and not the hyperactive part, but they
still have an ADHD diagnosis because ADD is no longer labeled.

ADHD has to do with things like focusing and sustaining focus for
a period of time, and being able to regulate attention.

It’s not about paying attention to any one thing; it’s about paying
do for homework that day or even plan ahead. When a child is
completing an assignment, they may need frequent breaks or have
their assignments broken down into smaller pieces, instead of one
massive and intimidating project.

These students also need more structure. They may not tackle their
homework as soon as they return home from school. You may need
to engage in a dialogue with your child to make sure they know
what they’re going to do first, second or third.

You’re also going to have to provide a distraction-free area for
him to do homework. If left to his own devices, he’ll often do
homework in places like his bedroom, which is really distracting!
If your help has gone on deaf ears by your child, consider getting
someone else to do the heavy lifting. Often, kids are much more
willing to listen to someone who doesn’t have an emotional
attachment to them, like a tutor or someone who has training in
educational coaching.

Educational coaches have the ability to work on three specific
areas: organization, time-management of short- and long-term
assignments, and study habits.

Kids with executive functioning issues get by because they’re
really smart, but when the work becomes harder and there’s a lot
more of it; they really have a hard time. Having somebody who
can work in these three areas is really the key to unlocking their
true potential.

attention when things are difficult.

When it comes to executive functions, sometimes people can have
poor executive functioning skills but they may not meet the criteria
for ADHD. However, everybody with ADHD does have poor
executive functioning skills.

34 April 2017 washingtonFAMILY.com
Ann Dolin is the founder and president of Educational Connections
Tutoring. She and her tutors travel to students’ homes to help them
improve their confidence and grades through one-to-one tutoring and
organization/time management coaching. Learn more at ectutoring.com.