by on 14/04/2021 4885
By Lee Chui Ki (Occupational Therapist at Oasis Place)
Imagine your brain is the air traffic control tower in a busy airport managing arrivals and departures of different airlines over multiple runways. Your brain is constantly organising, filtering distractions, prioritising tasks, setting and achieving goals and controlling impulses. This skill is known as executive functioning and allows us to act in a goal-directed manner day to day.
The ability to plan and follow a schedule, keep track of time and responsibilities, complete work and participate in day-to-day activities like cooking, washing up, and getting dressed, may seem like “common sense” and intuitive. But most of us do not remember exactly when we first established and mastered these autonomous tasks. These skills are a collaboration of many processes that we have learned, practised and developed over time.
A child first begins to develop executive functioning skills through their interactions with their physical and social environment, established routines, as well as modelling behaviour. It is also important for children to practice these skills through activities that foster creativity and social connections. One such method is through play. Play provides children with opportunities to learn to think flexibly, observe others’ perspectives, cope with stress, problem solve, and learn to control their own actions.
Image: Florida Family Living
When a child has difficulties with executive functioning, there are three main areas that may be affected:
Image: ADDtitude magazine
When a child experiences difficulties with executive functioning, they may:
Children can develop their executive functioning skills in a multitude of structured and fun and creative ways:
Children are not born with executive functioning skills but they are born with the potential to develop them. If you feel your child may be facing challenges in these areas, it is always good to consult a professional who can help pinpoint the specific areas of difficulties and provide natural and functional learning opportunities for your child.
Main Image: Pea and pod chiropractic
ABOUT OASIS PLACE
Oasis Place, located in the heart of Kuala Lumpur, is Malaysia’s largest multidisciplinary intervention centre, embracing a client-centered approach through transdisciplinary intervention. We offer all our assessment and therapy services onsite at our centre, offsite at schools, and online through OPConnect. At Oasis Place, helping people learn and grow is at the heart of everything we do. We work with all learning different individuals - from Autism Spectrum Disorder, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Dyslexia and Dyscalculia to Down Syndrome. Our core services are Psychology, Speech & Language Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Music Therapy, Continuous Education and Nutrition.
For more information on our services, please visit our website at www.oasisplace.com.my , Facebook at OasisPlaceMalaysia, Instagram and Twitter @OasisPlaceMY