Executive Function - What Is It and Why Does It Matter?

Executive function refers to the mental skills that help a child plan, organise, remember information, start tasks, stay focused, manage emotions, and complete activities. These skills are essential for learning, independence, and everyday life. For many SEND children, executive function difficulties can make school, home routines, and social situations feel overwhelming. This blog explains what executive function is, why it matters, and how specialist support can help your child thrive.

Key Takeaways

• Executive function skills help children plan, organise, regulate emotions, and complete tasks.
• Executive function difficulties are common in autistic, ADHD and PDA children, and children with anxiety or working memory challenges.
• These difficulties affect everyday life, including getting ready for school, completing homework, following instructions, and managing emotions.
• Specialist tutoring can strengthen executive function, using low‑demand, relationship‑based approaches that reduce overwhelm.
• Executive function challenges are not laziness - they are neurological differences that require understanding and tailored support.
• Children can make meaningful progress with personalised strategies, emotional regulation support, and consistent scaffolding.

What Are Executive Function Skills?

Executive function skills are the mental processes that help a child manage tasks, regulate emotions, and stay organised. They work as the “control centre” of the brain, supporting learning, independence, and problem‑solving.

• Planning and organising tasks such as packing a school bag or completing homework.
• Working memory, which helps a child hold information long enough to use it.
• Emotional regulation, allowing a child to manage frustration, anxiety, or overwhelm.

Executive function skills shape how a child approaches learning and daily routines. When these skills are strong, children can follow instructions, stay focused, and complete tasks more easily. When they are weak, everyday activities can feel confusing, stressful, or impossible.

This helpful NHS-based overview of executive functions from Sheffield Children’s Hospital, offers a parent‑friendly breakdown of what executive functions are and why they matter.

What Do Executive Function Difficulties Look Like in Everyday Life?

Executive function difficulties show up in practical, visible ways that affect home, school, and social situations. They are not behavioural choices - they are neurological differences that impact how a child processes information and manages tasks.

• Difficulty starting tasks, even when the child wants to do them.
• Trouble remembering instructions, especially multi‑step directions.
• Challenges staying organised, such as losing items or forgetting homework.

These difficulties can lead to frustration, anxiety, or shutdowns, especially for autistic, ADHD and PDA children. They may appear as avoidance, procrastination, or emotional dysregulation, but the underlying cause is a genuine struggle with cognitive processing. Understanding this helps parents respond with empathy rather than pressure.

Sarah-Jane McGarry, Neurodiversity Specialist and Founder of The Autism & ADHD Advocates CIC  brings clear, parent‑friendly insight into executive function. Her work explores how attention, inhibition, memory, and organisation affect daily learning, making her a valuable voice for families seeking practical guidance. In her recent LinkedIn post, When the Brain Gets Stuck – Problem Solving and Executive Functioning, Sarah‑Jane McGarry offers a clear explanation of the day‑to‑day processes involved when someone experiences executive functioning difficulties. Firstly, she acknowledges  that: 

"Problem solving is one of the executive functioning skills we use all day, every day."

Sarah then quotes some examples of daily situations we all may all encounter that require executive function skills, including:

“The road is blocked. The laptop will not turn on. The bus is late. You cannot find your keys.

“All of these are everyday problems...and every time one happens, the brain has to decide what to do next.

"Problem solving...actually pulls on lots of executive functioning skills at the same time…to solve a problem, you need working memory to hold onto what is happening."

Sarah explains that we also need: flexible thinking, inhibitory control to stop yourself reacting straight away, emotional regulation and planning and decision making.

"So, when we say a child struggles with problem solving, we are not talking about one simple thing. We are talking about a whole set of brain skills needing to work together."

Before those thinking skills can even begin to work together, a child’s emotional response often steps in first. That initial surge of feeling can either support clear thinking or completely block it, depending on how their brain processes stress and overwhelm. Sarah continues:

"When a problem happens, there is usually an emotional response first. For some children, that emotion is small and manageable. For others, especially children with ADHD, autism or executive functioning difficulties, that emotion can go from 0 to 100 very quickly. Once that emotion takes over, thinking clearly becomes much harder.

"That is why they may not be able to think logically in the moment...in the moment, they could not think of it. Their brain was stuck."

Sarah‑Jane’s insight shows what happens inside the brain when thinking shuts down. Before a child can even use their executive function skills, their emotional response often takes over — and this is where many children begin to struggle.

How Can Parents Support a Child With Executive Function Challenges?

Parents play a crucial role in helping a child develop executive function skills through structure, emotional support, and predictable routines. Small adjustments can make a significant difference.

• Break tasks into smaller steps, reducing anxiety and increasing clarity.
• Use visual supports, such as checklists, schedules, or colour‑coded reminders.
• Create low‑pressure routines, allowing the child to build confidence gradually.

These strategies help reduce anxiety and give the child a sense of control. When routines are predictable and expectations are clear, children feel safer and more able to engage. Over time, these supports help build independence and resilience. A helpful explanation of how executive function challenges affect autistic children and ADHD children comes from Embrace Autism, who outline the specific difficulties these neurodivergent learners face with planning, organisation, working memory, and emotional regulation. Their article reinforces why executive function skills are so important to understand when supporting SEND children. 

How Do Specialist Tutors Strengthen Executive Function Skills?

Specialist SEND tutors understand how executive function challenges affect learning and emotional wellbeing. They use personalised, low‑demand approaches to help children build confidence and develop practical skills.

• Tutors teach planning and organisation strategies, such as breaking tasks down or using visual prompts.
• They support emotional regulation, helping the child manage frustration and stay calm during learning.
• They build working memory skills, using repetition, scaffolding, and multi‑sensory techniques.

Specialist tutoring is not just academic - it is holistic, relational, and tailored to the child’s sensory and emotional profile. Tutors meet the child exactly where they are, helping them develop skills that support both learning and everyday life.

Your Child’s Executive Function Skills Can Grow

If your child struggles with planning, organisation, emotional regulation, or completing tasks, you deserve support from a team that fully understands SEND. At SENsational Tutors, our specialist tutors work with your child’s strengths, interests, and sensory profile to build confidence, independence, and a love of learning. You can book a free consultation call with our experienced team to explore executive function support and discuss your child’s needs. You may also wish to browse our website to learn more about our specialist SEND tutoring options.  

Our tutors prioritise connection, emotional safety, and regulation before any academic expectations. Sessions feel calm, predictable, and collaborative, with low-key approaches that reduce overwhelm and help your child thrive despite the challenges they face each day. We are a UK wide tutoring agency who support students aged 4-21 to flourish in their educational setting and beyond. 

Frequently Asked Questions

What are executive function difficulties?

Executive function difficulties affect planning, organisation, working memory, emotional regulation, and task initiation. A child may struggle to start homework, remember instructions, or manage frustration. These challenges are neurological, not behavioural, and often appear in autistic children, ADHD children, PDA children, and children with anxiety.

How do executive function challenges affect school?

Children may find it hard to follow multi‑step instructions, complete tasks on time, organise materials, or stay focused. This can lead to missed homework, overwhelm, or shutdowns. Teachers may misinterpret these difficulties as avoidance, but they are rooted in cognitive processing differences.

Can executive function skills improve?

Yes. With personalised strategies, emotional regulation support, and consistent scaffolding, children can make meaningful progress. Visual supports, low‑pressure routines, and specialist tutoring all help strengthen these skills over time.

Are executive function difficulties linked to SEND conditions?

Executive function challenges are common in autistic children, ADHD children, PDA children, and children with anxiety or working memory differences. They are part of how the brain processes information and manages tasks.

How can parents help at home?

Break tasks into smaller steps, use visual schedules, reduce pressure, and create predictable routines. Offer reassurance, model calm responses, and celebrate small wins. These strategies help reduce overwhelm and build confidence.

How can specialist tutors help?

Tutors teach planning, organisation, and working memory strategies. They support emotional regulation, reduce anxiety, and use low‑demand approaches that help the child feel safe and understood. This builds independence and resilience.

Please note: The information provided in this blog by SENsational Tutors is for general informational purposes only. While we aim to keep our content accurate and up to date, it should not be relied upon as professional advice. Every individual and situation is unique, and the information shared may not be applicable to your circumstances. We recommend seeking advice from an appropriately qualified professional before making any decisions based on this content.