Executive Functioning and Gifted Kids

It is no secret that many gifted kids find school tasks easy. They learn quickly and sail through assignments, homework, and new learning with ease. That is…until they “meet their Waterloo.” Because learning has always been easy, many gifted kids have not learned the skills necessary to tackle difficult work, persevere, work through failure, organize themselves and their material, and cope with frustration when the learning no longer comes easily. Seth Perler, an authority on the topic of executive functioning, calls these skills (and others) executive functioning skills. In its simplest terms, Perler asserts that executive functioning is simply “the ability to get stuff done” (homework, writing a paper or cleaning a bedroom, etc.) In other words, executive functioning is the ability to “execute” complex tasks from inception to completion. 
For many adults who have spent a lifetime honing their executive functioning skills, it seems that these skills should be relatively easy to master, especially by gifted kids, but as Cole Porter once said, “it ain’t necessarily so…” Things that sound simple to adults can require more executive functioning skills than some kids have. So often when kids fail, adults label this as a “won’t” problem, when it could also be a “can’t” problem. For example, when many children fail to turn in their homework, it is easy to assume that they don’t want to do it, they procrastinate, or they simply didn’t find it worthwhile…a “won’t” problem. What if, instead, this was framed as a “can’t…” problem -- they can’t remember that they even have homework, they didn’t remember to pack the necessary supplies from school, they began the assignment and got distracted, they began the assignment again and ran out of time, they forgot to put it in their backpack, or forgot to put their name on it, or completely forgot to turn it in?  All these steps require executive functioning skills – planning, having a system, writing things down, judging how much time something will take to accomplish, finishing a task to completion and checking for detail, etc. And all these skills can be taught.
Many experts on executive function have broken it down into various categories, and the ones most often mentioned are:

• Setting Goals, and breaking them down into manageable components
• Planning – including judging accurately how much time something will take
• Sequencing steps necessary to complete a project
• Prioritizing work – what to do now, what to save for later, what should be done first, etc.
• Working memory – having the bandwidth available to remember what needs to be done, and when, and how
• Organizing time, space, and materials
• Initiating the project (a second grader once shared with me that “the hardest thing about getting started is getting started” ☺)
• Inhibiting impulses, such as the impulse to distract self or to procrastinate, employing delay of gratification strategies so that work is accomplished
• Pacing oneself – knowing when to “put the pedal to the metal” and when to take a nourishing break, and then getting back to the task at hand
• Shifting focus smoothly, when necessary, without losing impetus
• Self-monitoring process and progress, reflection on performance and setting goals for future performance
• Emotional control – managing frustration, anger, impulsivity
• Completing the task within given parameters (time, materials, specifics, etc.)

Students may have difficulty with some of the areas, most of these areas, or all of them. They may easily coast along in elementary school or begin to show some difficulty as the work becomes more difficult. They (and their parents/caregivers or teachers) may be genuinely surprised when things fall apart in middle school or beyond. 
It is not surprising that the transition to middle school often exacerbates problems with executive functioning skills in students. There is an increasingly heavy demand on executive functions associated with transition to middle school, e.g., more changing of classes, more demands for organizational skills, study skills, and planning. Additionally, different teachers often have differing expectations, and many teachers no longer focus on organizational skills as was more common in elementary school. Some students may hold it together in middle school and begin to experience more difficulty in high school as they try to juggle homework, co-curriculars and extra-curriculars, home responsibilities, jobs, free time, and friendships. Still others meet their greatest challenges when they begin college or enter the military or workforce, and this is often a time when they do not have as much support nearby. 
So how can we help our kids? How can we discover the skills that our kids “can’t” do and support them as they learn how to master these skills? Though this article does not provide enough space to fully examine all the things that we can do, here are some resources that many parents, counselors, and therapists have shared. Two of them,
Smart but Scattered: The Revolutionary “Executive Skills” Approach to Helping Kids Reach Their Potential
and  Smart but Scattered Teens: The "Executive Skills" Program for Helping Teens Reach Their Potential are most frequently mentioned. There are even books and articles that support adults who struggle with executive functioning skills! Using a search engine will give you many ideas, and be sure to check out the work of Seth Perler, a leading authority on this topic. Here is an article to get you started; it talks about the emotional components affecting executive functioning as well as the obvious difficulties that students may have executing tasks. It also gives ways to support students and families, and when and how to ask for help.  Above all, let’s try not to label kids as “won’ts” when it is entirely possible that they are “can’ts” (remember: the messages that we inadvertently send to kids become their inner perceptions) – and then let’s provide the skills and practice that will help them become “cans” and “wills”. The payoff will be great! 
As always, I welcome your thoughts. Together we grow!

Jackie Drummer, WATG Past President and Current Board Advisor  

(WATG would like to extend a huge thank you to Dr. Martha Aracely Lopez of Milwaukee Public Schools for translating this article into Spanish for our Spanish-speaking families and educators. The translation can also be found in our website blogs.)