Executive functioning

• Their ability to sustain attention is impacting on their progress.
• Is easily distracted: they find it hard to stay on task.
• Finds it hard to sit still for long periods.

Based on need, some of this provision will be effective.

• Use the child or young person’s name when giving an instruction and wait for them to show they are paying attention (be aware that this can look different for different children and young people). Ensure that they can focus on one thing at a time (for example, don’t expect them to write will also listening to an instruction).
• Audit the classroom environment and minimise distractions. Work with the child or young person to do this.
• Review seating plans to minimise distractions while maintaining the child or young person’s connection with supportive peers.
• Provide an individual workstation, in a quiet area of the classroom.
• Provide small-group support for listening and attention skills (for example, as part of a Language Link group).
• A fiddle toy or object can help some children and young people to stay focused. Discuss options with the child or young person and agree when it can be used. Choose something that doesn’t make a noise and consider whether it will distract the child or young person from what they are doing, rather than supporting focus.
• Ensure access to short breaks to help the child or young person to stay focused. Movement breaks that incorporate heavy work can be helpful for some children and young people while for others a short cognitive break (doing something like colouring) can be effective. Help the child or young person notice when they need a break and support them to do so appropriately and independently (supporting this visually, for example by giving them ‘brain break’ cards, can provide a useful prompt).

Additional provision is set out in the communication and interaction section of this framework.

• Finds it difficult to follow instructions, particularly where these have more than one step.
• Loses their place in tasks – they may miss out steps or repeat steps.
• Finds tasks where they must remember information, and do something with that information, very difficult – for example, mental arithmetic.
• Seems to have a short attention span: they may seem to ‘daydream’ or be distractible.
• Finds it difficult to retain information in their long-term memory (difficulties with working memory often make it harder for children to store information in their long-term memory too).
• Is making poor academic progress, particularly in literacy and maths.

Based on need, some of this provision will be effective.

• Consider and assess their knowledge and understanding of the curriculum and ensure that key knowledge and skills are taught to fluency (accuracy with speed). This can help to ensure that their working memory is not overloaded.
• Play memory games in a pair or a small group to provide opportunities to teach and practise strategies to support working memory (explain that the focus is on strategies to support memory, not on ‘improving’ memory). These strategies could include:
  • teaching children under seven to rehearse information or instructions sub vocally, and prompt them to use this skill (children over seven tend to start using this skill on their own initiative)
  • teaching children and young people to ‘chunk’ longer lists into smaller units (like when we remember a telephone number by breaking into smaller parts)
  • teaching children and young people to organise things to remember into smaller groups, based on connections between them
  • helping children and young people to assign each item to be remembered to one of their fingers
  • using mnemonics (for example, rhymes and acronyms)
  • pointing at items in a list to help remember them.
• Provide additional support for working memory overload as needed:
  • repeat instructions
  • break down instructions into smaller steps
  • provide additional visual or written scaffolding for the task
  • remind the child or young person of an agreed strategy for asking for help
• Check in with the child or young person after giving instructions and check for understanding by asking them to tell you what they need to do.
• Minimise the need for copying. Where copying is required, provide a model at the child or young person’s desk (copying from the board is harder for children and young people than copying from something in front of them).
• Record instructions on a talking button or device, so that the child or young person can replay them.
• Provide memory aids and teach children and young people to use these in the context of an ‘easy’ task first. These aids may reduce the processing demands of a task (for example, spelling lists) or support memory (e.g. a checklist of language features to use in a piece of writing).
• Help the child or young person to understand how they learn and what works best for them: provide opportunities to practice using different memory aids and evaluate what works best for them. Teach
  • jotting down multiples at the start of a Maths test
  • drawing a picture or mind map of key information.

• Calls out frequently.
• Finds it difficult to stop and think before engaging in a task and may just default to a familiar, but inappropriate, approach.
• Seems impulsive.
• Finds it hard to wait.

Based on need, some of this provision will be effective.

• Explicitly model, teach and practise waiting. For some children this will need to start with practising initial hesitation (stopping for a short period before continuing): more information can be found in Elklan’s Communication Builders for Complex Needs.
• Play games that require stopping, for example, the traffic light game or Simon Says.
• Play games that involve turn-taking (begin with games/activities that involve a very short period of waiting and build up gradually from there). Provide a visual reminder for whose ‘turn’ it is.
• Give explicit opportunities for older children and young people to reflect on their inhibitory control by playing age-appropriate card games and board games.
• Teach and practice alternatives to ‘calling out’ and provide visual reminders for these. For example, provide a jotter, so the child or young person can write down their thoughts. Review strategies for checking for understanding to minimise the needs for ‘hands up.’
• Provide mentoring, where a key adult can ‘think aloud’ to model the thought processes involved in stopping and thinking before acting.

• Has difficulties with starting and completing tasks.
• Has difficulties with time management (they may rush through tasks or take so long over one step that they don’t finish).
• Has difficulties organising themselves and their belongings and often loses things.
• Makes ‘silly mistakes.’
• Older children and young people:
  • under performs in tests and exams, due to a lack of preparation
  • is late for lessons
  • often hands in homework late, or not at all

Based on need, some of this provision will be effective.

• Teach and practise using scaffolds (such as task planners, equipment lists and checklists), initially in the context of a familiar task. Provide support to generalise this to the classroom. For some children and young people scaffolds may need to be personalised to provide additional support: for example, by breaking a task down into smaller steps.
• Check in with the child or young person when they move to independent work, and ask ‘What do you need?’ What are the steps? How will you know when you’ve finished?’
• Encourage self-monitoring and celebrate progress, for example, ‘You rated yourself at a 6/10 on this task – that’s great! What’s keeping you above a 5? What would you have to do to get to 7?’
• Provide support for time management (for example sand timers or count-down strips for younger pupils; digital clocks and timer apps for older pupils).
• Provide a clear pencil case to make it easier for the child or young person to find and organise their equipment.
• Provide equipment lists or visuals that show what equipment the child or young person needs each day.
• Use electronic devices, apps and alarms to support organisation (older pupils). For example, Evernote can be used for notetaking and organisation.
• Provide individual mentoring to support with organisation (including for homework and revision planning).

• Finds it hard to accept other people’s ideas, or to understand the perspectives of others.
• Has difficulty with transitions: they may become anxious when plans change and/or have difficulty switching from one task to another.
• Finds it hard to transfer learning to new contexts.

Based on need, some of this provision will be effective.

• Use social stories and comic strip conversations to teach social knowledge, with a focus on perspective taking. Begin by using these to capture situations or interactions that have gone well, before using them to unpick situations that a child or young person has found difficult.
• Read and discuss stories that involve multiple perspectives (younger pupils)
• Read books with multiple narrators (older pupils).
• Provide a developmentally appropriate personal visual schedule and support the child or young person to use this. Ensure that items are removed or crossed off the schedule when they are finished.
• Explicitly use a now and next board.
• Teach and practise managing change, starting with a small change that the child or young person is likely to be pleased about, and building up to less welcome changes. Visually support this process using a ‘change’ or ‘oops‘ icon on the child or young person’s timetable.
• Ensure that skills are practised in a range of contexts to support generalisation and talk explicitly about transferring what has been learnt to a new context. Consistent visuals and resources can support this process.
• Provide clear roles and expectations during group tasks.
• Provide regular opportunities for the child or young person to spend time with peers with a similar interest, where there are opportunities for talk and collaboration, but low demands (for example, ‘Brick Club’, drawing club, board games club). This podcast provides a useful overview.
• Provide support for transitions during the day. Timers can support some children and young people to recognise that a task is about to end. Introduce timers as a way of showing that a non-preferred task is about to end, before expecting a child or young person to use them to transition away from a favourite activity.
• Use of an early exit pass for older children and young people who need additional time to successfully transition between lessons.
• Provide enhanced transition from one year to another, and between settings.

Additional provision is set out in the communication and interaction section of this framework.

• Struggles to manage their emotions – they may become overwhelmed easily and find it hard to calm down when they are upset.
• Finds it hard to identify and explain how they are thinking and feeling.

Based on need, some of this provision will be effective.

• Create a personal visual that a child or young person can use to identify and communicate how they are feeling, and to remind them of some things they can do to feel better (for example, a 5-point scale). Teach and practise using this when the child or young person is calm.
• Provide a safe space that a child or young person can go to when they need some time to calm, ideally within the classroom. Provide an exit card if appropriate and teach and practice how to use this.
• Consider the role that difficulties with interoception may be having on the child or young person’s ability to manage their feelings, and provide support as needed:
  • ‘Think aloud’ to make links between your own internal sensations, what emotion you might be feeling, and what you are going to do to feel better.
  • Wonder about how the child or young person might be feeling inside, based on what you see.
  • Incorporate activities that support interoceptive awareness into the child or young person’s timetable.

Additional provision is set out in the Social, Emotional and Mental Health section of this framework.

Support services

• Devon’s Educational Psychology Service
• Devon’s SEND ICT team
• The Communication and Interaction team
• The Social, Emotional and Mental Health team

Where there are persistent concerns about a child or young person’s inattentiveness, with or without hyperactivity, despite a graduated approach, and these are having a significant impact on their day-to-day life, further specialist assessment can be requested by a health professional (for example, the GP or the school nursing team).

Further reading and information

• NASEN module – Memory for learning
• Cognitive Science in the Classroom | EEF
• NASEN module – Understanding executive function
• NASEN webinar – Principles of Assessment and Metacognition
• SEND environmental audit – primary
• SEND environmental audit – secondary
• FLEX toolkit: Resources Bank

ADHD

• Understanding the Strengths and Difficulties of ADHD: a guide for teachers
• ADHD Foundation
• NASEN webinar – ADHD

Books for teachers

• The Anxiety Workbook for Supporting Teens Who Learn Differently
• Simple Stuff to Get Kids Self-Regulating in School

Transition support

• Supporting transitions
• Making Transitions Easier for Autistic Learners
• Supporting Learners with Transitions

Resources to share with parents

• The EPIC Strategy Booklet: a guide for parents
• Understanding the Strengths and Difficulties of ADHD: a guide for parents
• Understanding the Strengths and Difficulties of Neurodivergent Children: a guide for parents
• ADHD Foundation
• Brainsmart games – BBC
• Ready, steady, go games
• The Choiceworks app helps children complete daily routines (morning, day and night), understand and manage feelings and improve waiting skills.
• Apps such as Evernote and phone or tablet functions can support organisation in older children and young people.
• Backward chaining: teaching young ones self-care | CFHD
• Learning Independence and Organisation Skills
• Working memory difficulties – advice for parents