Pediatric OT

When clinicians hear the words executive function, it is easy to think about the skills we traditionally associate with it: planning, organization, working memory, and time management. But executive function is much bigger than keeping track of homework or remembering what comes next. It is woven throughout a child's day. Executive function can influence how a child gets started, responds when something changes, keeps track of information, organizes actions, persists when som

If you work with children, you've probably had this experience. You can see that executive function is influencing participation. A student may have difficulty getting started. Another may lose track of what they're doing halfway through a task. Someone else may have the skills to complete an activity in one setting but have much less access to those same skills when the environment, demands, or internal state changes. Recognizing that executive function is part of the pictur

A child’s ability to use executive function skills can change from moment to moment. So can their ability to learn new ones. When we talk about executive function, we often describe skills such as initiation, working memory, planning, organization, flexibility, inhibition, time management, persistence, and metacognition. This can make executive function sound relatively straightforward: identify the skill that is weak, teach a strategy, practice it, and expect improvement. Bu

When MTSS feels stuck, the issue may not be student motivation; it may be access. This body-first, access-based perspective helps school teams look beneath observable challenges to better support regulation, executive function, and meaningful participation.

Toileting depends on much more than learning a routine. Interoception, regulation, sensory processing, nervous system state, and body awareness all influence how children access toileting participation. This body-first, neurodiversity-affirming approach helps caregivers and professionals better understand the systems underneath daily routines and support children through access, safety, and participation.