Executive Functions in the Classroom
How teachers and school staff can support students with executive functioning difficulties
Neurocomplexities
In my personal and professional experience, when we inform a teacher that a student in their class has ADHD, a learning disability — or any divergent neurotype — they often nod as though they understand and don’t ask specific questions about that student.
Obviously this is not always the case, but it’s happened more often than not. It seems many adults form a quick picture in their head based on stereotypes, a bit of knowledge and previous experience, then move on.
ADHD isn’t just difficulty sitting still. Dyslexia isn’t just reversing numbers or letters. Autism isn’t just flapping and rocking. I could go on (you know I can, and I will).
Whenever any diagnosis or neurocomplexity is identified, that gives us only a very small picture of what to expect. Every single neurodivergent person experiences our traits differently and our complex neurology impacts our lives in different ways.
If you’re told a student has ADHD, you still know nothing about that student. Are they hyperactive? Inattentive? Do they struggle with impulsivity? Emotional regulation? Organization? Do they prefer orange or yellow? Sweet or salty?
You won’t know until you ask.
Please ask.
Executive functions
Neurodivergent folks struggle with executive functions (EF). There are roughly five categories of EFs, and each person will struggle in different areas. I’ve covered EFs before, but I promise this is all new information.
In this article, I will provide concrete examples of how each EF might look inside a classroom, as well as child-centred strategies for supporting students in these areas.
The five executive functioning categories are as follows:
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