What Executive Function Really Is: Executive Function Series Part 1
Many parents describe their child in the same way:
“They are smart.”
“They understand what they are supposed to do.”
“They just cannot seem to follow through.”
This gap between knowing what to do and being able to do it consistently is often misunderstood. According to Peg Dawson, this gap is best explained by executive function. In Smart but Scattered, executive function is described as a set of brain based skills that help individuals manage themselves and their behavior in order to achieve goals. These skills function as the brain’s management system. They help children plan, organize, regulate emotions, remember information, start tasks, and persist even when tasks feel difficult or boring.
Executive function is not a measure of intelligence or a reflection of effort. It is not about whether a child cares. It is about whether the skills needed for follow through are sufficiently developed and supported.
Executive Function Is About Performance, Not Knowledge
Executive skills are required at the point of performance. This means that a child may understand expectations clearly but still struggle to act on them in the moment.
For example, a child may:
Know how to start homework but feel unable to begin without help
Understand classroom rules but struggle to regulate emotions when overwhelmed
Want to be responsible but forget materials, lose track of time, or miss steps
From Dawson’s perspective, these challenges are not intentional. They reflect executive skills that are still developing and are not yet reliable under real world conditions. This explains why repeated reminders, lectures, or consequences often fail to produce lasting change. These approaches assume the skill is already in place, when in reality it may not be.
Executive Skills Develop Slowly and Unevenly
Another central idea is that executive function develops gradually over time, continuing into adolescence and early adulthood. Different executive skills mature at different rates, and development is rarely smooth or linear.
A child may appear capable one day and overwhelmed the next. They may function well at school but struggle significantly at home. Stress, fatigue, strong emotions, and increased demands can temporarily weaken executive functioning even in children who are generally doing well.
This inconsistency can be confusing for adults, but from an executive function perspective, it is expected. Developing skills are fragile and require support, especially in demanding or emotionally charged situations.
Why Executive Function Challenges Are Often Misinterpreted
When executive function is not well understood, children are often labeled as lazy, unmotivated, careless, or oppositional. Parents may feel frustrated or worry that they are doing something wrong.
Dawson’s framework offers a more helpful question to guide adult responses:
“What skill is getting in the way right now?”
Shifting from judgment to skill identification changes how adults support children. Instead of increasing pressure or expecting independence too soon, adults can provide scaffolding, structure, and environmental supports that help children succeed while their skills are still developing. Importantly, this approach does not lower expectations. It aligns expectations with a child’s current developmental capacity.
The Most Important Takeaway for Parents
Executive function challenges do not mean a child is unwilling. They mean a child is still learning how to manage themselves effectively.
Executive skills can be supported, strengthened, and improved over time. With the right understanding and the right supports, children can make meaningful progress toward independence.
Understanding executive function helps parents respond with clarity instead of frustration, and with support instead of blame.
Source
Dawson, P., & Guare, R. (2016). Smart but Scattered: The Revolutionary “Executive Skills” Approach to Helping Kids Reach Their Potential (Revised and Updated ed.). New York, NY: Guilford Press.
