#8 United We Think: How Executive Functions Work Together

Higher-Level Executive Functions unite working memory, inhibitory control, and cognitive flexibility. Like a sound engineer in a recording studio, we can mindfully arrange, balance and adjust our mental input or perceptions into a composition. It requires a concert of reasoning, creativity, planning, pattern recognition, timing and sequencing skills.

Higher-Level Executive Functions

1. Reasoning: Act of drawing conclusions to solve problems and make decisions.

• Reasoning with information makes it memorable

2. Time management:

• Planning and prioritizing: arranging activities for the present and future.
• Making predictions: to forecast something about the future.

3. Organization: The process through which we mentally arrange or order information into meaningful and digestible patterns.

• Memory is improved when we organize information before we encode it.
• Keeping materials organized saves time and attention.
• Organizing ideas helps us to arrange and digest them.
• Mind maps
• Outlines
• Timelines
• Planners and agendas

4. Identifying Patterns: describes cognitive processes that match information from a stimulus with information retrieved from memory.

• Improves memory - allows us to link new information to old knowledge.
• Improves attention - helps us focus.

Links for reference of the topic

• Executive Functioning publications at Good Sensory Learning: https://goodsensorylearning.com/collections/executive-functioning-skills-training
• Executive Functioning Skills Workshop: https://www.learningspecialistcourses.com/courses/executive-functioning-skills-workshop
• Planning, Time Management and Organization for Success: https://goodsensorylearning.com/products/planning-time-management-and-organization-for-success-download?_pos=1&_sid=c72458f86&_ss=r 
• Why improving and assessing executive functions early in life is critical: chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/http://devcogneuro.com/Publications/Diamond_(2016)_Why_improving_and_assessing_executive_functions.pdf   
• Executive functions and Study Skills Course: https://www.learningspecialistcourses.com/courses/teaching-EF-and-study-strategies 
• Good Sensory Learning: https://goodsensorylearning.com/
• Executive Functionings for Groups and Classes: https://tinyurl.com/4sx3eh3fhttps://www.learningspecialistcourses.com/courses/executive-functioning-games-for-groups-and-classes  
• Dyslexia Productivity Coaching: ⁠⁠http://dyslexiaproductivitycoaching.com/⁠⁠
• Cognitive Flexibility:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://goodsensorylearning.com/blogs/news/dyslexia-and-executive-function 
• Dyslexia Quiz: ⁠⁠https://bulletmapacademy.com/dyslexia-quiz/⁠⁠
• Inhibitory Control:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠https://goodsensorylearning.com/blogs/news/poor-executive-functioning?_pos=3&_sid=19d2b3888&_ss=r 
• Metacognition: https://goodsensorylearning.com/blogs/news/teaching-metacognitive-skills?_pos=1&_sid=8c4ed9b58&_ss=r 
• Visualization:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠https://goodsensorylearning.com/blogs/news/the-key-to-improved-attention-and-memory-for-optimal-learning?_pos=8&_sid=a9d61809a&_ss=r 
• Inner Voice:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://goodsensorylearning.com/blogs/news/inner-voice-app?_pos=1&_sid=604e0b13e&_ss=r 
• Working Memory: https://goodsensorylearning.com/blogs/news/tagged/working-memory 

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• ⁠⁠https://goodsensorylearning.com/products/executive-functioning-coaching-assessment⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
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