Coaching Students in Executive Functioning Skills
Executive Functioning Skills are skills needed to execute- or complete- tasks. They are the skills that help us get things DONE!
Starting in the 2023-2024 school year, the 4th grade will be taught about the executive functioning skills.
The works of Drs. Peg Dawson and Richard Guare were adapted from their books on small group and individual programs on executive functioning to accommodate a whole class design (known as universal or tier I supports). Here are links on these materials from Dawson and Guare:
While different experts name and describe various executive functions, this program will focus on Dawson and Guare's 11 skills and definitions.
| Foundational Skills | Advanced Skills |
| Response Inhibition | Planning/Prioritizing |
| Working Memory | Organization |
| Emotional Control | Time Management |
| Flexibility | Goal-Directed Persistence |
| Sustained Attention | Metacognition |
| Task Initiation |
Parents are an important part of the teaching these skills- we encourage parents to ask about the "skill of the week" once we get started and share what tools they use to be successful for that executive functioning skill.