Learning Disabilities and ADHD Articles

“I Know What I Need To Do, But Why Can’t I Do It?” – Refilling the Executive Functioning Fuel Tank

Filed under:
Executive Functions
Written by:
Melissa Yue
Registered Psychologist

As we ring in the New Year, with the best of intentions, we start off strong with our resolutions, only for our plans to quickly unravel.  Schedules get busy and the demands on our time and energy seem to be constant, which can easily lead to us struggling with our executive functions.   Our ability to plan, organize, and start working towards our goals are stalled when our mental efforts can no longer resist distractions. We know what we need to do and yet, in the moment, we cannot will ourselves to do it.  We have all been here, and our kids have been here too.  

One of the first signs of mental fatigue is a drop in executive functioning, and it gets harder to accomplish our goals the more exhausted we become.  This fatigue and subsequent lower executive functioning control is especially apparent for those with Learning Disabilities and/or Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. This is because these individuals must force themselves to push through tasks that others seem to grasp naturally, and thus their executive functioning fuel tank depletes faster with this added effort.  Everyday tasks become a massive brain-drain.  Parents and teachers may be left wondering how they can support students who are struggling with being able to show what they know when their executive functions are puttering.

Luckily, the brain does not have to run on empty as long as we offer ways to refill it.  Because some fuel works better for certain brains than others, it will be important to test out which fuel type gives you (or your child/student) the most mileage.  So, let’s start our executive functioning engines and test drive some of the following methods:

Fuel Type 1:  Body Movement  

  • Nothing gets the blood flowing better than a few minutes of movement.  Better blood flow allows for the brain to access a fresher supply of resources, which is why recess time is vital!  Give some of these moves a spin:
  • 3- minute dance party or exercise video where the students have to follow the movements (e.g.,  GoNoodle Exercise, or a fast K-Pop dance routine)
  • Take a lap around the school/house or do a set or two of stairs. Add a timer to beat their own record.
  • Make a delivery or run a quick errand such as sending the student to another class or the main office for some supplies. If at home, have them run out to shovel the sidewalk for the family or for a neighbour.
  • Wall jumps -  Give the student 3 sticky notes each.  On their body break, they can attempt to put the sticky note as high up on a designated wall as they can.  They can try again on their next break to beat their highest sticky note. 
  • Mini-Power Workout - Aim to engage big muscle groups and to get the heart rate up for 3 minutes.  This workout can be as simple as a few jumping jacks, 180 jump squats, or skipping rope.

Fuel Type 2:  Bring in the Cheerleaders 

Words have power, and a little encouragement can go a long way.  Just as a locker-room pep talk can boost up a team’s morale, kids need their own cheerleaders to let them know that they can do it.  At first, most people need others to provide the encouragement, but over time, these positive scripts start to internalize and they are able to rely on their own inner cheer power. To get the positive vibe going, try these ways to integrate positive praise.

  • Jar of Encouragement -  after completing a certain amount of work, have them select an encouragement note from the jar.
  • For teachers, do a praise walk-around where you place a positive affirmation on each student’s desk 
  • Flip-book of positive affirmations - the student can turn to the next page after a certain amount of time or work is completed, or when they feel that they need a boost.  Use an AI generator to come up with powerful phrases.
  • Place words of encouragement into worksheets with little speech bubbles or small graphics.  For example:

Fuel Type 3:  Chunk and Track Tasks for More Frequent Celebrations

Pit stops are important on a long road trip.  Breaking up tasks into smaller parts allows for more pauses to reflect and celebrate the journey.  If the end goal is to write a book report, then we need a road map to plot out each step and when to take it.  If a teacher or parent needs help in breaking down the task for the student, try an AI tool such as Goblin.Tools Magic ToDo. Then add in a way to visually track progress and you can plan for mini celebrations along the way.

Fuel Type 4:  Eyes on the Prize – Visualizing the success

Pairing nicely with the previous Fuel Type, having something to look forward to can create momentum.  Being reminded that something of value is within arms reach can be just enough motivation to keep pushing through.  This is not bribery where the reward is not sprung out of nowhere in hopes of changing someone’s behaviour. Rather, rewards are agreed upon ahead of time.  Worried about undermining intrinsic motivation?  Fear not, motivation sometimes needs to start externally in order to get the ball rolling in learning a new skill or boring procedure.  Once the skill is learned and positively reinforced, the motivation to keep going can shift inward.  So, do not be afraid to remind a student to keep their eye on the prize and push through a little discomfort to get there.  If the prize is worth it to them, they will be willing to put in the extra effort.

Fuel Type 5:  Up the Glucose

Our brain runs on glucose- that is, sugar!  During demanding tasks, it uses more. Brain fog starts to set in when sugar supplies are not kept stable.  Hence, sipping on some juice or sucking on a hard candy while working can help give the brain the sugar it needs to keep the synapses firing.  Of course, too much sugar can cause a sugar rush creating a different type of brain overload.  The key here is to provide the brain a slow and steady supply.  Not too much, not too little!

Before Revving Up Our Engines…

It is important to keep in mind that it takes time to fill up the fuel tank.  Partner with students to help them understand that we need a full tank to reach our goals.  Start with the 10 and 3 rule.  10 minutes of work for 3 minutes of break that intentionally fills their tank again.  These mini-breaks might feel like delays, but in the long run, we get better mileage out of our executive functions if we do not wait for the tank to run dry. 

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