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Executive Function Skill #11 of 11 By Dr. Katrin Kusek | ADHD & Executive Function Coach Part of the Executive Function Skills Series. Start with Post #1: "What Are Executive Function Skills? A Parent's Guide." The Enthusiasm Trap Your child is on fire. They've just discovered a new passion — a sport, an instrument, a hobby, a creative project. They talk about it constantly. They want to start immediately. You buy the equipment, sign them up, invest your time and energy.

Executive Function Skill #10 of 11 By Dr. Katrin Kusek | ADHD & Executive Function Coach Part of the Executive Function Skills Series. Start with Post #1: "What Are Executive Function Skills? A Parent's Guide." The Skill of Knowing What You Know Your child gets their test back — it's covered in errors they absolutely know how to avoid. 'Why didn't you check your work?' you ask. 'I thought I did,' they say — and they mean it. Or maybe they're stunned by a low grade on an e

Executive Function Skill #9 of 11 By Katrin Kusek, EdD | ADHD & Executive Function Coach Part of the Executive Function Skills Series. Start with Post #1: "What Are Executive Function Skills? A Parent's Guide." When 'Plan B' Is Not an Option You have to take a different route home. A beloved food item is unavailable. The activity gets cancelled. For most people, these are minor inconveniences. For your child, they can trigger a reaction that looks completely disproportion

Executive Function Skill #8 of 11 By Dr. Katrin Kusek | ADHD & Executive Function Coach Part of the Executive Function Skills Series. Start with Post #1: "What Are Executive Function Skills? A Parent's Guide." Time Blindness Is Real Your child is always late. They perpetually underestimate how long things take. 'I only need five minutes' means 45 minutes. They lose track of time, miss deadlines, and seem to live in a bubble of perpetual now. ADHD researcher Russell Barkle

Executive Function Skill #7 of 11 By Dr. Katrin Kusek | ADHD & Executive Function Coach Part of the Executive Function Skills Series. Start with Post #1: "What Are Executive Function Skills? A Parent's Guide." It's Not Carelessness. It's a Systems Problem. The backpack is a disaster zone. Important papers are missing. Their room looks like a clothing explosion. You've organized their space — beautifully, logically — and within three days it looks exactly as it did before.

Executive Function Skill #6 of 11 By Katrin Kusek, EdD | ADHD & Executive Function Coach Part of the Executive Function Skills Series. Start with Post #1: "What Are Executive Function Skills? A Parent's Guide." The Problem Isn't the Project — It's the Map Your child has been assigned a big project. They're capable — you know it. But when they sit down to work, they look genuinely lost. They don't know what to do first. They don't know how long it will take. They might spe

Executive Function Skill #5 of 11 By Katrin Kusek, EdD | ADHD & Executive Function Coach Part of the Executive Function Skills Series. Start with Post #1: "What Are Executive Function Skills? A Parent's Guide." It's Not Laziness. It's a Starting Problem. The project has been assigned for two weeks. Your child knows it's due tomorrow. You've reminded them daily. And yet — there they sit, staring at a blank page, seemingly incapable of writing a single word. You've tried br

Executive Function Skill #4 of 11 By Katrin Kusek, EdD | ADHD & Executive Function Coach Part of the Executive Function Skills Series. Start with Post #1: "What Are Executive Function Skills? A Parent's Guide." Present in Body, Gone in Mind Your child is sitting right there at the desk. The homework is in front of them. Forty-five minutes have passed. Almost nothing has been done. When you ask what happened, they genuinely don't know. Or maybe their teacher tells you they

Executive Function Skill #3 of 11 By Dr. Katrin Kusek | ADHD & Executive Function Coach Part of the Executive Function Skills Series. Start with Post #1: "What Are Executive Function Skills? A Parent's Guide." When Feelings Take the Wheel One small thing goes wrong — a sibling takes a toy, a plan changes, a game is lost — and what follows looks completely out of proportion. Tears, screaming, shutting down, or a full-blown explosion. Other parents look on. You feel exhaust

Executive Function Skill #2 of 11 By Katrin Kusek, EdD| ADHD & Executive Function Coach Part of the Executive Function Skills Series. Start with Post #1: "What Are Executive Function Skills? A Parent's Guide." You Just Told Them. How Do They Not Remember? You carefully explained the three things you needed your child to do before dinner. They looked you in the eye. They even nodded. Two minutes later, they've done none of them — and have no idea what you asked. Or maybe y

Executive Function Skill #1 of 11 By Katrin Kusek, EdD | ADHD & Executive Function Coach Part of the Executive Function Skills Series. Start with Post #1: "What Are Executive Function Skills? A Parent's Guide." When 'Think Before You Act' Just Doesn't Work You've said it a hundred times: "Think before you act." "Stop and think." "Use your brain before you open your mouth." And yet — your child still blurts, grabs, pushes, or reacts before you can even see it coming. This

By Katrin Kusek, EdD | ADHD & Executive Function Coach Learn what executive function skills are, why they matter for your child or teen, and how understanding them can transform how you parent — especially if ADHD is in the picture. Does This Sound Familiar? Your 12-year-old is smart — you know it, their teachers know it — but they can't seem to start their homework without a full meltdown. Your teenager forgets to turn in assignments even when they're done. Your 8-year-old