Why are Executive Functions Important?
Executive functions help us reach our goals both in the short-term (“I want to eat a sandwich but oh no! I don’t have the bread that I like best. I’ll have the make an adjustment to my plan.”) and in the long term (“I want to get a raise/good grade so I need to do well on this project that is due in 2 weeks. It’ll take about 10 hours to do and I have other work…so I should start on tomorrow.”).
Executive functions help us visualize outcomes and make better decisions which help children stay out of “time-out” and help adults stay out of legal trouble. They help us get things done on time leading to good grades and continued employment. EFs help us adapt to unexpected changes which help us cope with life’s challenges. They help us be socially appropriate which helps us keep our friendships and relationships. EFs help us learn from our mistakes and help move our focus outside of ourselves, allowing us to be gracious, grateful, and helpful. In short, EFs help us create the rich lives we want.
If you or someone you know could benefit from help developing executive functions, email me at hollis@mindfulspeechchicago.com to get started.
Resources:
Fahy, J. (2019, November 29). Diagnosing Executive Dysfunction in School-Aged Children. Lecture presented at Diagnosing Executive Dysfunction in School-Aged Children in Speechpathology.com.
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Hi, I’m Hollis, the owner of Mindful Speech.
I’m a speech-language pathologist licensed in Illinois and Colorado.
I specialize in providing speech therapy to help children, teens, and young adults to improve language, reading, writing, and executive functioning skills. Now offering in-person sessions in Chicago!
Learn more about me on my About Hollis page.