The National Center for Learning Disabilities is an American site full of information about Executive Functioning Disorder. http://www.ncld.org
Dysfunction in executive skills is common in individuals with a Learning Disability, ADHD and Austism, and causes significant difficulty with learning and behavior. Knowing that your child struggles with executive function is the first step in developing a plan to help.
Children and adults with EFD have problems organizing materials and setting schedules. They misplace papers, assignments, and other school materials. They might have similar problems keeping track of their personal items or keeping their bedroom organized. No matter how hard they try, they fall short.
The checklist below will help you start to think about if executive function may be an area of weakness for your child. It does not diagnose Executive Functioning Disorder (EFD), but it can be helpful as a way to capture your observations and concerns and to start a conversation with your child’s teachers or other professionals.
Thinking about the last six months, my child…
☐ Has difficulty with paying attention
☐ Is easily distracted
☐ Requires many reminders to stay on task
☐ Finds it difficult to set goals
☐ Struggles with making decisions
☐ Has trouble knowing where to start on assignments
☐ Focuses on either details or the big picture at the expense of the other
☐ Has difficulty getting started on tasks, often seems to procrastinate
☐ Struggles to understand how much time a project will take to complete
☐ Takes longer than peers to complete homework and other tasks
☐ Needs numerous prompts from adults to stay on-task
☐ Loses track of time or assignment due dates
☐ Forgets to turn in completed work
☐ Struggles with keeping track of needed materials; often leaves materials at home or school
☐ Finds checking his/her work very difficult (and may not do it at all)
☐ Has trouble following multiple-step directions
☐ Forgets what he/she is saying or doing in the middle of a task
☐ Forgets the details of reading while reading or soon after finishing
☐ Gets frustrated with changes in schedule or usual routines
☐ Has difficulty shifting from one activity to another (especially when the rules/task demands change)
☐ Struggles with shifting between information that is literal vs. figurative, past vs. present, etc.
☐ “Gets stuck” on parts of tasks and can’t move forward
☐ Seems to have difficulty controlling impulses—will say or do things without thinking about them first
☐ Is easily frustrated
☐ Often talks out of turn and/or interrupts others’ conversations
Executive function involves a set of interrelated skills, so there's no single test for diagnosis. Instead psychologists, teachers, speech-language pathologists, and therapists rely on different tests to measure specific skills.
Dysfunction in executive skills is common in individuals with a Learning Disability, ADHD and Austism, and causes significant difficulty with learning and behavior. Knowing that your child struggles with executive function is the first step in developing a plan to help.
Children and adults with EFD have problems organizing materials and setting schedules. They misplace papers, assignments, and other school materials. They might have similar problems keeping track of their personal items or keeping their bedroom organized. No matter how hard they try, they fall short.
The checklist below will help you start to think about if executive function may be an area of weakness for your child. It does not diagnose Executive Functioning Disorder (EFD), but it can be helpful as a way to capture your observations and concerns and to start a conversation with your child’s teachers or other professionals.
Thinking about the last six months, my child…
☐ Has difficulty with paying attention
☐ Is easily distracted
☐ Requires many reminders to stay on task
☐ Finds it difficult to set goals
☐ Struggles with making decisions
☐ Has trouble knowing where to start on assignments
☐ Focuses on either details or the big picture at the expense of the other
☐ Has difficulty getting started on tasks, often seems to procrastinate
☐ Struggles to understand how much time a project will take to complete
☐ Takes longer than peers to complete homework and other tasks
☐ Needs numerous prompts from adults to stay on-task
☐ Loses track of time or assignment due dates
☐ Forgets to turn in completed work
☐ Struggles with keeping track of needed materials; often leaves materials at home or school
☐ Finds checking his/her work very difficult (and may not do it at all)
☐ Has trouble following multiple-step directions
☐ Forgets what he/she is saying or doing in the middle of a task
☐ Forgets the details of reading while reading or soon after finishing
☐ Gets frustrated with changes in schedule or usual routines
☐ Has difficulty shifting from one activity to another (especially when the rules/task demands change)
☐ Struggles with shifting between information that is literal vs. figurative, past vs. present, etc.
☐ “Gets stuck” on parts of tasks and can’t move forward
☐ Seems to have difficulty controlling impulses—will say or do things without thinking about them first
☐ Is easily frustrated
☐ Often talks out of turn and/or interrupts others’ conversations
Executive function involves a set of interrelated skills, so there's no single test for diagnosis. Instead psychologists, teachers, speech-language pathologists, and therapists rely on different tests to measure specific skills.