Why Is
My Smart Kid
So Scattered?
And What’s the Real
Impact on Grades?
E very day I speak to parents
who are stressed out and
confused. If you live in the
D.C. area, you can probably
identify with being “stressed-
out.” But many are also
confused at how their
smart kids can be so
scattered. These parents are
confounded by the
fact that their kid is
really smart (heck,
most of these kids can
tell you a story a mile
long, remembering
every last detail,
and some have even
been in the gifted
program), but their
grades are mired in
mediocrity because
they are perpetually
disorganized and
procrastinate like crazy.

Parents report that when left to their
own devices without any parental
oversight, these kids can’t keep up
with their assignments and rarely
study for tests, let alone remember
when the tests are in the first place.

And not surprisingly, when parents try
to help, their overtures are resisted.

It just doesn’t make sense. How can
such a smart kid be so forgetful? Why
is life with this kid so chaotic, with
assignments left until the very last
minute, stressing everyone out? And
why, when help is clearly needed, do
these kids push their parents away?
The Real Reason Kids
Are So Scattered
Let’s start out with one of the most
common reasons kids underperform
in school — weak executive functions.

Executive functions (EF) refer to
cognitive processes occurring in the
frontal lobe of the brain. They have
to do with focus, problem solving,
planning and organization. As you can
imagine, these abilities are incredibly
important in school.

So when kids aren’t all that focused
or organized and have a hard time
thinking ahead, we often assume
they’re lazy, unmotivated, or just
don’t care about school. But actually,
this isn’t the case at all. It’s often that
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Continued on page 40



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