Monthly Archives: February 2021

The last article featured four of the skills that form part of Executive Functioning. The remaining equally important skills are the following:

1. Self-Monitoring – the ability to monitor one’s behavior and to modify it in response to demands in the environment or situation;
2. Planning and Prioritizing – the ability to make a plan and to know what needs to be done first;
3. Task Initiation – the ability to start on an assignment or task without need for reminders;
4. Organization of materials/environment – the ability to keep order in one’s surroundings and to keep track of belongings.

(list of skills taken from www.pinterest.com, definitions are my own)

It is easy to see how having problems in one or more of these skill areas impact negatively on a person’s ability to carry out tasks and accomplish them on time. As well, having problems in self-monitoring, flexible thinking and emotional control can result in problems in the establishment and maintenance of interpersonal relationships. Being familiar with these concepts can help us, as therapists, understand our clients’ problems better and address them more effectively!

Executive functioning (EF) is a set of skills that enables a person to plan, organize and carry out actions to achieve what he/she has set out to do for that day. It involves problem solving, the ability to think flexibly and consider alternatives, self-monitor and use feedback to respond to shifting demands in the situation. Four Executive function skills are listed below:

1. Impulse control – the ability to inhibit behavior that potentially gets us into trouble;
2. Emotional Control – the ability to manage one’s emotions and keep them under control when faced with challenging situations;
3. Flexible Thinking – the ability to consider alternatives and different perspectives;
4. Working Memory – the ability to keep information in one’s mind while working on it (e.g. multi-step instructions, calling a phone number).

(list of skills taken from www.pinterest.com, definitions are my own)

The next four skills under executive functioning will be featured in my next article.