I pride myself on the fact that my 7-year-old son, like me, has always been a list-maker. “Overwhelmed by too many playtime choices?” I might say to him. (Tough life, I know.) “Let’s make a list and ...

Are your middle or high school students having trouble focusing, disorganized, or struggling to complete classroom assignments? Perhaps you’ve also noticed that they have challenges with ...

Those who study the brain or treat patients (or both) talk a lot about executive functioning, often in the negative. We refer to “poor executive functioning,” “executive dysfunction,” “frontal lobe ...

As parents, we want the best for our children. We cheer them on from the sidelines, drive them to countless practices, and invest significantly in their athletic development. From private coaching to ...

Principal Ian Knox’s thoughtful opinion essay, “Kindergartners Are Struggling With Self-Regulation. How Principals Can Respond ” (July 8, 2025), centers on steps school leaders can take to respond ...

As people, we rely on our mental capabilities and cognitive skills to do things like regulate emotions and navigate our day-to-day lives. Planning and organization, completing tasks, time management, ...

A new study found that processing speed regarding inhibitory control (the ability to suppress automatic or impulsive responses) and working memory improved in a group of participants after ...

If you’ve ever said, “I just need to focus,” and then found yourself scrolling, snacking, and reorganizing your sock drawer—you’ve just met your executive function. And it wasn’t having its best day.

Executive functioning skills are the mental processes that help us plan, focus, remember instructions, juggle multiple tasks, and manage time effectively. For kids and adults alike, executive ...

Executive function—top-down processes by which the human mind controls behavior, regulating thoughts and actions—have long been studied using a standard set of tools, with these assessments being ...