Executive Functioning Skill Development by Age

TIME PROBLEM WORKING EMOTIONAL IMPULSE ATTENTIONAL SELF

PLANNING MANAGEMENT TASK INITIATION ORGANIZATION SOLVING FLEXIBILITY MEMORY CONTROL CONTROL CONTROL MONITORING

• engages in cause • plays hide-and- • plays simple

and effect play
• Older children in
• shows interest in seek and simple games like peek-
• focusing for • figuring out ‘how this age range
INFANT color, size, recall games
a-boo and pat-a-
objects
things work’ play simple role
(0-24 • pointing & shapes • participates and cake

through simple play or

MONTHS) • beginning enjoys familiar • imitation and
grabbing body movements imaginative play
matching skills rhymes and copying
and basic play games
songs behaviors emerge
skills

• completes simple • labels own

• understands puzzles and • plays active • able to direct
• beginning emotions and the • talks about own
categories and games that • Beginning skills inhibition games attention to
understanding of emotions of feelings and
patterns combine to shift between like musical objects and
• understands time concepts • able to others
connects simple
• can sort toys and language and activities.
• follows along to chairs, and freeze activities for
simple including independently • may often have behaviors with
TODDLER objects by movement to • Sometimes able songs and dance
longer periods of
instructions and seasons, days, start and tantrums or upset emotions.

(2-4 function, form, accomplish a to manage fingerplays with • learns to inhibit time.
can run simple weeks, etc. complete tasks when frustrated, • plays along with
YEARS) and class
goal. transitions and many steps and safety-related • Responds to
errands
• follows visual that take up to 10 • cleans up toys unexpected tired, or other children,
• decision making movements. behaviors like adult cues and
picture schedules minutes overwhelmed directing play and
and belongings and turn-taking changes without touching a hot redirections back
to order tasks. requiring adult accepting play
with adult during play upset. stove and street to ‘pay attention’
• practices waiting. comfort to ideas.
assistance promote basic safety. when needed.
soothe.
problem solving

• Participates in
• organize and • identifies and • able to save
• able to follow a • developing time organized social • Independent with
sequence stories
defines problems • follows safety money for • able to complete
planned out set estimation and a activities like puzzles, logic
• able to • can follow simple to many simple rules and most desired objects.
activities like
of steps to meet sense of how sports, clubs, and games, and • learns to control
EARLY independently checklists
social and social norms for • developing note journaling to
an end goal.
long tasks will activities where coordinated tantrums and
LEARNER • plays fast moving start and • gathers materials academic tasks; behavior. taking, reminders, reflect on own
take. unpredictable group activities.
frustrations
5-12 games and • beginning skills to complete tasks for familiar • emerging skills to • able to collect • behavior and planning behavior.

events occur. without adult

YEARS games requiring manage leisure that take up to routines, often brainstorm and information and maintains when tools to help • checks own work
Often uses adult comfort.
strategy and time and required 30-60 minutes with adult break apart apply it to new teachers or adults sustain for simple
assistance and problems to support to are not around attentional mistakes.
planning ahead. tasks. dynamically settings.
reminders identify solutions. control.
adjust.

• independently • greater • able to save

• able to • estimates how identifies money for
• Able to manage understanding of • able to monitor
independently long it takes to • follows complex problems at desired objects
many others emotions, • greater risk- performance and
plan out the complete tasks school schedules home, work, and • able to collect as well as creates
unpredictable including taking behaviors
adjust/improve.
steps of and adjusts • able to
combined with with friends. information and and executes
changes to empathy and a • may begin to test • Uses tools to
homework or working speed to independently
home routines.
• able to sort out apply it to new plans to earn
schedules and desire for social some adult safety monitor behavior.

TEEN important project fit.

start tasks that • able to use many conflicts settings.
money for
routines, but may change.
behaviors and • May recruit adult
13-18 to meet an end • understands and take up to 60-90 and make • independent with desired items.
systems for sometimes need • may experience social norms feedback or need
goal.
works to avoid minutes to decisions about puzzles, logic • Beginning
organizing adult support to ‘adult feelings’ • may engage in reminders from
• Works in a group the complete complex games, and mindfulness of
schoolwork and identify strategies but not have self-talk to help coaches, parents,
of peers to plan consequences of problems coordinated distractions, but
activities. to dynamically experience yet in manage impulses friends, teachers,
social activities ineffective time independently, group activities may need adult
adjust. how to manage etc.
and events. management. make seek adult support to avoid
them.
guidance. them.

• seeks out and • modifies

• initiates and • maintains neat • generates • greatest working • manages
• able to develop implements tools schedules • emotional
completes tasks and orderly solutions to memory capacity impulsive • Able to sustain
and maintain and systems to dynamically to modulation in • checks work for
despite adverse systems for daily complex in early behaviors across attention in the
multiple different manage time meet changing most settings mistakes.
conditions and living tasks. problems. adulthood. a variety of face of many
YOUNG plans at one time more efficiently
demands.
including • monitors and
distractions.
• when areas of life • persists in • able to collect, settings. distractions
ADULT to meet many • uses routines and • prioritizing and like email developing new
• Unpredictability
store, and controlling • Withholds rushing • Eliminates or compares own
18+ different goals
modifies planning occurs household chores and creative
causes
synthesize outbursts and through things
reduces behavior to
• able to establish schedules occasional stress, managing others
ahead of get out of hand, strategies to information from • inhibits reckless distractions when
and meet long- dynamically to but able to frustration in performance.
beginning most can re-organize ongoing multiple sources and dangerous needed
term goals. meet changing handle most healthy ways.
activities as needed. problems. to accomplish behaviors.
demands. changes easily.
tasks and goals.

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References

Barrett, K. (2018). ADHD and the Case for Support through Collegiate Age: Understanding the Lifecycle of Developmental Delays in Executive
Function for ADHD and its Impact on Goal Setting. Journal of Childhood & Developmental Disorders. 4, 3:11

Centers for Disease Control, National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities (2020). Developmental Milestones Checklists.
Retrieved from: https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/actearly/milestones/index.html.

Dawson, P., and Guare, R. (2009). Smart But Scattered. New York: Guildford Press

Dawson, P. and Guare, R. (2010). Executive Skills in Children and Adolescents: A Practical Guide to Assessment and Intervention, 2nd Edition. New
York: Guildford Press.

Peters, K. (2017). Hierarchy of Social/Pragmatic Skills as Related to the Development of Executive Function. Retrieved from:https://nyspta.org/wp-
content/uploads/2017/08/Conv17-305-Executive-Functions-Hierarchy-Handout-Peters.pdf

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