Executive Functions are the three cognitive processes our brains use to direct or coordinate the activities that our brains are performing. There are three Executive Functions:
Working Memory: working memory is the ability to hold information in mind while we work with it.
Inhibitory Control: the ability to not do something we otherwise would do, to suppress an action.
Cognitive Flexibility: the ability to adapt to changes taking place around us, to adjust to different priorities,
Executive Functions are the same cognitive processes, whether they are used for reading, math, or in everyday situations to manage our behavior.
Executive Functioning refers to our ability to perform a variety of skills that help us stay on task, get our work done, and manage ourselves and our interactions with others. Executive functioning skills include:
- Planning
- Organization
- Task initiation and follow-through
- Adaptability
- Self-regulation
- Time management
- Goal-setting
- Decision-making
Each of these executive functioning skills calls on all three Executive Functions.
Many educators tend to think of executive functioning skills as behavior, but they are integral to both academics and behavior, as show in the following chart.
If our executive functions are weak, then executive functioning is typically a struggle.
Executive Functions can be developed leading to better executive functioning with comprehensive integrated cognitive training (CICT). We can’t explain to someone else how to hold more information in mind or how to control and impulse, or how to think more flexibly, but we can help the brain practice these processes until they are automatic.
