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Executive functioning skills include many frontal lobe cognitive skills such as: planning, task initiation, time management, organization, attention, self-control, flexible thinking, perseverance and emotional control, among others. Without these skills, managing everyday life can be challenging, but Eve Spremullo, MS, CCC-SLP, at Honeycomb Speech Services in Warwick, Rhode Island, can help. She provides executive functioning skills development and practice that helps patients do better at school, work, and home. Call Honeycomb Speech Services or request an evaluation online today.
What are executive functioning skills?
The three primary executive functioning skills are:
Working memory
You use working memory to process information and events as they happen. For example, you can store a phone number in your working memory for a few minutes until you need to use it, but you won’t remember it the next day. Working memory also helps you add new knowledge to update your thoughts and feelings.
Working memory develops throughout childhood, reaching a peak in your early 30s. It begins to decline after 35.
Cognitive flexibility
Cognitive flexibility helps you adapt to changes in your environment. It enables you to shift between different thought processes and activities, meaning you can respond to a question while reading or writing.
Inhibition control
Inhibition control is your ability to regulate thoughts and emotions and focus on tasks. You use inhibition control to manage your reactions in challenging situations, such as when you restrain yourself from acting out of anger or frustration.
You also use inhibition control to help you focus on the person you’re conversing with and block out other noises.
Why do I need executive functioning skills?
Executive functioning skills help you make goals and do what’s necessary to achieve them. They enable you to plan, solve problems, and cope with new situations.
Good executive functioning skills significantly affect mental and physical health and your quality of life. In contrast, poor executive functioning skills reduce your ability to achieve your potential at school, find and retain a job, or develop close social connections.
Executive functioning skills improve throughout your lifetime but often decline with age. Fortunately, there’s plenty you can do to retain your executive functioning skills and improve them.
What can affect executive functioning skills?
Your brain’s frontal lobe manages executive function, so anything that damages this area can reduce executive functioning skills.
Conditions that affect executive functioning skills include:
- Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
- Autism spectrum disorder (ASD)
- Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia
- Brain tumors
Stress, lack of sleep, loneliness, and insufficient exercise can also affect executive functioning skills.
Can I improve my executive functioning skills?
Various interventions can improve executive functioning skills, including:
- Computerized cognitive training
- Neurofeedback training
- Mindfulness meditation
- Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy
- Exercise
You need to participate in these therapies long-term to maintain your results.
Call Honeycomb Speech Services or book an evaluation online today to benefit from improved executive functioning skills.