Executive Function Training for Kids with CHDs
Ages 8 - 24 Years
Are you or your child messy or disorganized? Do you have trouble making plans and following through on tasks? Is it tough to make decisions, inhibit behaviors, or solve problems flexibly? Executive function problems are common among people with congenital heart defects (CHDs). They often become apparent in late elementary school, and can remain a challenge through adulthood. For some people, executive function training or tutoring can help.
In this section
Executive Functions
"Executive functions" are the ways people think when they are focusing and paying attention. For example, executive functions include:
Staying organized
Planning time
Being flexible
Controlling emotions
Paying or switching attention
Starting new tasks
Working towards a goal
Breaking big tasks into steps
Monitoring and reflecting on performance
The executive functions develop rapidly in early childhood, and then gradually through middle childhood and adolescence. People finally have mature executive functions in their late 20's.
Challenges with executive functions are common in people with heart defects. When people do not get help for executive function deficits, they can have problem at school, work, and home.
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School Support for Executive Functions
Public schools often offer help in executive functioning. Students who qualify for Special Education or a 504 Plan can get help as part of their education program. In some schools, executive function training is part of a general education curriculum.
Families who are worried about their child’s executive function should ask their school district what executive function services are available.
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Private Executive Function Training
In addition to school services, families can often hire tutors or therapists who can help students with executive function. They might offer these services in a clinic, in a private practice, or at a home. Usually, these services are not covered by insurance. Families can ask their doctor, therapist, or teacher for recommendations of executive function tutors in their community.
When families have access to them, executive function training can help many students be more successful in school, and in daily tasks.
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How Can Executive Function Coaches Help?
Executive function training might include helping students to:
Organize their materials
Use a calendar or planner
Develop work plans for long assignments
Practice solving problems multiple ways
Use strategies to break down big assignments
Identify feelings, and work on controlling them
Get started on new tasks without procrastinating
Work for longer periods at a time without stopping
Pay attention and learn during class
Study for a test or quiz
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Taking a Long View
In typical development, executive function skills are not fully established until a person is between 25 and 30 years old. In people with heart defects, the process may be slower, and some people may always lag behind their peers in executive function skills.
When someone has executive function deficits, they can use a combination of:
learning and practicing skills that they are able to improve
using tools and strategies to compensate for skills that remain impaired
Together, these approaches can allow people to be successful students, workers, and friends despite underlying executive function challenges.
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This content was reviewed by a psychologist at Boston Children's Hospital.
Developmental care is best when it is local. Families local to Boston can receive care from the Cardiac Neurodevelopmental Program (CNP). Families from other regions can use the link below to find their local care team.
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