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You have probably heard the term executive function, or executive dysfunction, at some point in the course of raising your gifted child, but did anyone really explain to you what it is or what they meant by the term?
What Is Executive Function?
There is a lot packed into those two words and they are important for parents to understand. Executive function (EF) is a term that describes a set of skills that play an important role in the development of children's abilities to be prepared for and successful in accessing academic and social growth. EF is frequently defined as a combination of neurobiological and psychological processes! that manage inhibitory control? or response inhibition,' working memory,' and cognitive flexibility." The Harvard Center for Child Development describes EF as the "air traffic control center" for the brain." In other words, these skills help us to navigate the flood of information that our senses gather all day long, as well as our physical and emotional responses to that information.
The ability to self-regulate emotions and impulse control, switch attention between tasks, optimize working memory, and hold information in your head while acquiring more information are all executive function skills. As children become young adults, these skills mature and include metacognition (the ability to think about one's thinking), planning and organization skills, reasoning, and being able to consider consequences and other peoples' feelings and perceptions.
EF develops rapidly in infancy and continues to develop into adulthood. Different executive functions reach full development at different ages; working memory generally reaches full development levels by 12 years of age, while cognitive flexibility reaches full development at 15 years of age." Executive functioning skills become especially critical when students reach middle-school age and are faced with situations and assignments requiring them to manage stress and use such skills as critical problem solving, strong communication, conflict management skills, persistence and working through challenges, task initiation, time management, responsible decisionmaking, and project planning. These abilities are vital to students' success in meeting the academic and psycho-social demands of middle school, high school, college, and launching professional careers.
EF and Giftedness
There is some evidence that components of executive function and giftedness might be related. For example, some studies have found that young children...