The ability to sustain focus when challenged, shift attention, and avoid becoming too absorbed (hyperfocused) when engaged in an enjoyable task.

People with EF deficits do not have an attention deficit; they have trouble managing and shifting their attention, often hyperfocusing on things they enjoy and find exciting, novel, or urgent. Once focused, they typically have difficulty disengaging from a preferred task or topic and shifting their attention to something else, especially when the expectation is to focus on tasks or activities perceived to be hard, boring, or non-urgent. Difficulties with attention management can negatively impact academic performance, engagement in social interactions and completion of daily responsibilities.

The ability to persevere when activities are challenging or unenjoyable, to maintain focus and work efficiently towards goals.

Sustained effort management is crucial for completing tasks requiring prolonged attention and persistence, especially when immediate rewards are absent. Maintaining effort in challenging or uninteresting activities can be particularly difficult for children and teens with EF deficits. They may quickly lose motivation and struggle to stay on task, leading to incomplete assignments and missed deadlines, affecting academic performance and overall productivity. Additionally, sustained effort management can negatively impact relationships. Children and adolescents with these deficits often struggle to sustain effort and engagement with others when interactions feel boring, or taxing, such as conversations or activities. Effective sustained effort management enables children and teens to push through difficulties, remain focused, and achieve their long-term goals despite obstacles and lack of immediate gratification.

The ability to monitor and regulate emotions and behaviours without acting impulsively.

Children and teens with EF challenges often experience intense emotions and are more sensitive to perceived criticism. They may struggle to recognize their mounting emotions and tolerate difficult or vulnerable feelings such as frustration, anxiety, or disappointment. This can often result in behaviours that are not aligned with their social goals (e.g., explosive behaviour, uncontrollable crying, or elation that becomes disruptive).

Action management involves self-monitoring to ensure that our behaviour aligns with our goals. Individuals with EF challenges often struggle with this, making it difficult to regulate their actions effectively. These challenges can affect their relationships with peers, teachers, and family, making navigating social situations difficult.

The ability to remember, organize, and retrieve information.

Information management is necessary in all aspects of life. We require these skills to stay organized, meet deadlines, and manage our responsibilities and commitments. For example, academically, effective information management enables students to remember necessary materials for a school project, collect their thoughts when writing an essay, or organize a study schedule. Socially, it is required to recall details about friends' lives and interests.

Children and teens with information management challenges often struggle to process and organize information, potentially leading to feeling overwhelmed. They may have difficulty breaking tasks into manageable steps, keeping track of important details, and prioritizing responsibilities. As demands from school and daily life increase, these challenges can become more pronounced, making effective information management essential for overall success and well-being.

The ability to initiate, organize, plan, prioritize and manage time efficiently.

Strong task management skills are essential for success in daily life. These skills enable us to plan our days, prioritize tasks, and manage our time effectively, preventing last-minute stress and overwhelming feelings. For example, effective task management helps kids and teens get out the door on time in the morning or balance homework demands with extracurricular and social activities.

Task management is increasingly important at school as children move through the grades. They must track assignments, meet deadlines, and break larger projects into manageable steps. Without these skills, they may struggle to start tasks, keep track of their work, and manage their time effectively, leading to missed assignments, incomplete tasks, and reduced academic performance.