The executive functioning skills are set of processes that all have to do with managing oneself and one’s resources in order to achieve a goal. It is an umbrella term for the neurologically-based skills involving mental control and self-regulation. Executive functions are a diverse, but related and overlapping set of skills. In order to understand a person, it is important to look at which executive skills are problematic for the person and to what degree.
Executive skills are never demonstrated in isolation; they overlap with motor, language, memory, and other cognitive skills. Drs. Peg Dawson and Richard Gauare present a list of grade-typical developmental tasks requiring executive skills. This table below provides an overview of behaviors that should be in place at various stages if your child is developing executive functions at a typical pace.
Age Range | Developmental Task |
Pre-school | · Run simple errands (e.g. “Get shoes from the bedroom” · Tidy bedroom or play with assistance · Perform simple chores and self-help tasks with reminders (e.g clear dishes from table, brush teeth, get dressed) Inhibit behaviour: Don’t touch a hot stove, don’t snatch a toy from another child; don’t hit, don’t bite, don’t push, etc. |
Kindergarten – Grade 2 | · Run errands (2-3 step directions) · Tidy bedroom or playroom · Perform simple chores, self-help task; may need reminders (fold bedsheet, make your bed) · Bring school worksheets home and to and fro · Complete HW assignments in 20 mins max · Decide how to spend money Inhibit behaviours: follow safety rule, don’t swear, raise hand before speaking in class, keep hands to self, not interrupt when parents are conversing with other people. |
Grade 3 - Grade 5 | · Run errands (may involve delay or greater distance, such as going to a nearby store or remembering to do something after school · Tidying bedrooms/playroom. Vacuum cleaning/ brooming and mopping, dusting etc. · Keep track of belonging when away from home · Plan simple school projects such as book reports, finishing subject project with minimum help · Keep track of changing school schedule (for activities) · Save money for desired object Inhibit/Self-regulate: behave when teacher is out of the classroom: refrain from rude comments, temper, tantrums, bad manners, etc. |
Grade 6 - 8 | · Help out with chores around the home, including both daily responsibilities and occasional tasks (e.g., emptying dishwasher, doing laundry, dusting or vacuuming house, any task that takes over an hour to complete a job) · Taking care of younger sibling · Use a system for organizing schoolwork, including assignment, notebook, etc., · Follow complex school changing schedule involving changing teachers and changing schedules · Plan and carry out multiple projects, homework, family responsibilities, estimate how long it takes to complete individual task and adjust to fit. Inhibit: Rule breaking in the absence of visible authority |
The list may not be an exhaustive list but it will give you a fair idea about your child’s developmental task age wise. If you have any questions, you may consult a pediatrician or a psychologist or a psychotherapist, who may help you understand better about your child’s development task.
Courtesy: Drs. Peg Dawson and Richard Gauare. Executive skills in children and adolescent: A practical guide to assessment and intervention, Guilford Press, New York, 2004
Reference: Late, Lost and Unprepared – Joyce Cooper-Kahn, Ph.D. & Laurie Dietzel, Ph.D.
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