Spring Issue 2021

Impulse Control
The old adage, “think before you act” applies to the EF skill
impulse control. It really means to control your impulses, to
resist saying or doing something, to stop one’s self. In addition
to controlling our impulses, we have to consider how our
behavior impacts others. This is an important skill for all
students to master.
Emotional Control
Much like attentional and impulse control, emotional control
is the ability to manage your thoughts and emotions so that
you can achieve your goals. Emotions take many forms and,
for example, in the classroom a student has to control their
frustration, annoyance at others, anger at something that did
not go their way. Understanding and managing emotions is
critical to the successful completion of tasks, especially
group work and social relations.
Goal Directed Persistence
Persistence is essential for completing tasks. Many students
struggle to complete tasks because of distractions or because
inevitable setbacks become insurmountable roadblocks. It is
important to maintain a focus on the task at hand and to be
able to summon the grit necessary to push through inevitable
“
Executive
Functioning
is a broad set of
self-directed
SKILLS
that IMPACT
all aspects
of our lives.
challenges with the overall goal in mind.
It is important to
Executive functioning is a broad set of self-directed skills
that impact all aspects of our lives.
Executive function challenges are often seen at home, in the
classroom and at work. Executive functioning difficulties can
arise from weaknesses in any of the aforementioned skills,
which impact goal directed behavior. It is important to
understanding and address these deficits early so that they
do not become roadblocks to success.
Caryl Frankenberger, Ed.M.
Frankenberger Associates, Branford CT
understanding and address
these deficits early so
that they do not become
roadblocks to success.
“
www.frankenbergerassociates.com
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