Development of Executive Function in Children

Executive function development begins at a young age and progresses into early adulthood, allowing a person to be independent, efficient, and successful in an ever-changing world. Executive function skills are the foundational blocks of learning and academic success that help drive our behaviors and emotions, allowing us to have successful relationships. Development of these skills involves a gradual process that is individualized for each child, based on the maturation of the prefrontal cortex. Genetics and environment have an interactive and dynamic role as well. Executive function skills are crucial for our children to meet today's academic demands and navigate the social expectations.

This course will provide an understanding of executive function, the core dimensions, and how to support overall skills with practical strategies which can be used in a variety of environments. Neuroplasticity allows for the development and enhancement of executive function so that children can understand expectations, follow rules, control emotion, havesocial relationships, school readiness, and academic success. Participants will review how to modify existing activities by making them more motivating and enjoyable, while providing challenges to promote and enable enhancement through active learning and novel playschemes. The goal is to support children to be able to plan,resist temptations, regulate emotions, and stay on tasks to achieve independent success in their daily lives.

Target Audience: Physical Therapists, Physical Therapist Assistants, Occupational Therapists, Occupational Therapy Assistants, Speech-Language Pathologists

Highlights

• Provide effective research-based activities to improve self-awareness, problem-solving and self-monitoring
• Practical cognitive-motor activities to engage children to increase awareness of body and support attention, while increasing organizational skills, prioritization, and flexible thinking
• Team collaboration strategies to identify challenges and integrate evidence-based strategies across pediatric environments for consistency and success