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

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.

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.

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?

This article explores how interoception and the brain-body connection influence executive function and theory of mind in children. Learn how strengthening interoceptive awareness supports emotional regulation, flexible thinking, self-awareness, and decision-making. Includes practical pediatric OT strategies to build interoception and boost executive function skills.

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.

Giving a child a planner doesn’t mean they’re ready to use it. Executive function involves much more than writing things down—it requires regulation, memory, planning, and flexibility. In this post, Dr. Cara Koscinski explains why many kids still struggle with organization, even with the right tools, and what occupational therapy practitioners can do to support executive function through body-based, visual, and strengths-focused strategies.

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