Does your child struggle with remembering things, have difficulty starting a task or blurt things out inappropriately?
If so they may have an executive function deficit. There are 7 executive functions:
Self-awareness
Inhibition
Non-verbal working memory
Verbal working memory
Emotional self-regulation
Self-motivation
Planning and problem solving
Children with poor executive function will often struggle with these skills leading to them having difficulty with:
making and keeping friendships due to making poor behaviour choices, outbursts and difficulty filtering what they say to someone, clumsiness hurting themselves or others around them accidentally due to poor body awareness, difficulty remembering steps of a task making tasks like getting ready for school stressful for the whole family and placing a heavier burden on the parent to help.
losing things like school hats and jumpers which can get expensive and frustrating
‘Meltdowns’ or emotional over reactions to situations causing stress and embarrassment to the child,
Difficulty starting schoolwork or other tasks which can cause anxiety in attending school
Children's Occupational therapists and Physiotherapists have the expertise to improve your child's executive functioning skills. Using movement, games, exercises and teaching techniques to improve body awareness, social skills, memory, emotional regulation and organisation.
Your child will learn how to be more organised and recognise their emotions and be able to respond appropriately to them which will decrease anxiety and improve social skills.
They will have more body awareness which leads to them hurting themselves and other people less
They’ll remember instructions more easily making completing school work and completing everyday tasks like getting ready for school easier to complete.
Unfortunately your child won’t grow out of these problems. Many adults with ADD or ADHD still struggle with being able to plan and prioritise tasks without being distracted or forget important appointments as they didn’t have professional help as a child and as a result they lack confidence and suffer anxiety and find work or running a household so much harder than other people.
Here are 3 ways you can start helping your child with their executive functioning skills
Play memory games like pairs or missing object
Play simon says getting your child to copy positions you make with your body
Draw shapes on paper and place on the floor in a circle ask your child to step on a sequence of shapes gradually increasing the number a shapes in the sequence.
At Active Life our specially designed therapy spaces provide a safe but challenging environment in which your child can move, jump, swing, crash and play improving body awareness and developing their sensory integration (the ability to receive and process sensory information from movement and the environment.) which will improve their ability to engage in day to day tasks, learning new motor skills, academic skills, reading and writing and focus, attention and behaviour.
Call our Admin team on 8398 4681 to make an appointment with one of our passionate Therapists to establish your child’s goals and best treatment plan.
