The Full Story
We help with
executive function
We all use executive function skills to live purposeful lives. From the moment we wake up, we need to have a plan and follow through, problem solve, and make adjustments as needed. When someone has impaired executive function skills, they can have difficulty with organization, prioritizing and completing tasks, and beginning new activities. They are often anxious, frustrated, lost, and have difficulty keeping up with school and life demands.
Some kids have great difficulty with different components of a task. An OT can help them analyze tasks and break them down into smaller chunks so they can feel a sense of accomplishment as they move through completing a task. When a child masters their executive function (EF) skills, they are more successful and feel a sense of pride in their work. They are able to overcome feeling anxious, ashamed, and frustrated and will be able to understand how to approach tasks and keep up with academic demands.​
How does OT help with
executive functioning?
At Rooted, we believe that due to the brains neuroplasticity (flexibility with learning), when EF skills are practiced, children naturally get better at them. The components of executive function that we work on at Rooted are:
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Emotional Control - The ability to modulate or deal with feelings. Developing the mind-body connection (interoception) helps greatly with this.
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Inhibition - This is the ability to control ones own thoughts and actions and to resist impulses to appropriately complete tasks.
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Working Memory - This is comprised of several forms of memory that all work together; visual memory, auditory memory, and spatial memory.
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Initiation - The ability to start a task (knowing how to and executing). Anxiety caused by perfectionism will often affect initiation and can cause procrastination.
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Planning and prioritization - The ability to use imagination to see oneself carrying out tasks or seeing what will be needed during the process of carrying out tasks. This involves visual memory skills.
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Shift - The ability to think and adjust as situations change, the ability to "read the room" and follow along.
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Organization - The ability to create order to be able to follow a sequence or a pattern to attend to or complete a task.
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Self-monitoring - The ability to assess one's performance to recognize progress or a lack of it, an ongoing skill during other EF skills.
