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Organized ≠ Neat: Rethinking Organization as an Executive Function Skill
Discover how a child’s existing organization strengths can provide valuable clinical information and help therapists create more effective executive function supports.
Cara Koscinski
Aug 254 min read


Knowing Executive Function Is Involved Is Only the Beginning
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
Cara Koscinski
Aug 214 min read


Executive Function Is Dynamic: Why State Matters for Both Access and Learning
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
Cara Koscinski
Aug 75 min read


Executive Function Assessment: Why Traditional Approaches Miss the Bigger Picture
The EFX™ Access Profiler™ is a new participation-focused executive function assessment and clinical reasoning system designed to help professionals better understand executive function access across real-world contexts, supports, regulation states, and participation demands. Beta testing opportunities are opening soon.
Cara Koscinski
Jun 35 min read


Why Skills Don’t Always Show Up: Understanding Access in Children
Some children can access executive function skills one day and not the next. Access to thinking skills for learning depends on sensory regulation, supportive environment, and interoceptive safety. When the child's roots, trunk, and ground can support the child's needs, the child's canopy grows and fruit can bloom.
Cara Koscinski
May 33 min read


Why Some Children Can’t Access Skills They Already Have
A child can know exactly what to do… and still be unable to do it in that moment. They may know how to transition. They may understand expectations. They may have completed the same task yesterday. So why does it suddenly fall apart? This is where many adults become confused. From the outside, it may look like: avoidance defiance emotional outbursts inconsistent participation refusal shutting down difficulty transitioning “not trying” But what if the issue is not willingness?
Cara Koscinski
Apr 173 min read


10 Shocking Facts About Executive Function Every Therapist, Parent, and Educator Should Know
Executive function is often described as the control center of the brain, but the truth is far more complex, surprising, and counterintuitive. For therapists, educators, and parents who support children with attention, behavior, or learning differences, understanding the real foundations of executive function can transform how we guide kids toward independence, confidence, and regulation. The Executive Function Express Program separates the complex skills of executive functi
Cara Koscinski
Dec 1, 20254 min read


What Is Inhibition and Why It Matters for Executive Function in Children
Inhibition is a key executive function that helps children pause, think, and choose appropriate responses over impulsive ones. In this article, we explore how developing this vital skill supports emotional control, learning, and behavior regulation across settings.
Cara Koscinski
Nov 14, 20254 min read


Before the Brain Can Plan: Why Movement Drives Executive Function
When the Body Moves, the Brain Connects Have you ever noticed how some children think more clearly after recess or a movement break? That’s no coincidence. In The Executive Function Express Program , movement is the force that brings every other skill online. Before a child can plan, focus, or organize, their body must first feel grounded, regulated, and ready. I call this connection Move the Train, Build the Brain because the child is the train. Before higher-level thinkin
Cara Koscinski
Nov 3, 20253 min read
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