Executive Functions:

Approaches To Learning for Infants

and Toddlers
Prepared for the Office of Head Start by ICF International

Session Objectives
Participants will:
Understand what executive functions are.
Understand why they are important.
Connect executive function skills with early
learning frameworks and standards.
Learn strategies for helping infants and
toddlers develop and improve their executive
functions.
Prepared for the Office of Head Start by ICF International

EFs and Early Learning Standards

HSCDELF Domain
Elements closely
associated with Executive
Functions:
Social Emotional
Development: Self
Regulation
Approaches to Learning:

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What are Executive Functions?

Brain functions used to
manage attention,
emotions, and pursuit
of goals.
Foundational for school
readiness
More predictive of
school success than IQ.

Prepared for the Office of Head Start by ICF International

Cognitive Control
abilities that depend on
the prefrontal cortex.

Executive Functions
Cognitive control functions
involved in goal-oriented
behaviors.

Different from automatic,

reactive behaviors.
Crucial building blocks for
early development of both
cognitive and social
capabilities
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(Building the Brains Air Traffic Control System, 2011.)

Executive Functions

A. Inhibitory Control
(self-control, selfregulation)
B. Working Memory
C. Cognitive Flexibility
D. All of the above
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Executive Functions

A. Problem solving
B. Reasoning
C. Planning
D. All of the above
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Why are Executive Functions important?

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Executive Function skills are

critical for cognitive, social and
psychological development.

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Children in poverty
are susceptible to
cumulative risk.
toxic stress,
poor access to
health care,
More family
mental health and
substance abuse,
Difficult residential
situations.

ECLKC/NCQTL/Front Porch Series

EFs and Early Childhood

46% of kindergarten teachers, in a survey by Robert
Pianta and others from UVA, reported that at least
half of the children in their classrooms have
problems following directions.
Head Start teachers, in another study, reported that
more than a quarter of their students exhibited
serious self-control-related negative behaviors.
Prepared for the Office of Head Start by ICF International

Growth of Executive Function Skills

NSCDC Working Paper 11. Harvard University

Focuses on HOW children acquire skills

rather than WHAT skills they are
learning.
Learning Styles
Habits
Motivations
Attitudes

News you can Use: Foundations of School Readiness. HSNRC, August

2012

 Inhibitory control
Self regulation
Attention
Curiosity
Information gathering
Memory
Persistence
Problem solving

FOCUS
PERSISTENCE
SELF CONTROL

Effortful control
in Infants and
Toddlers

Prepared for the Office of Head Start by ICF International

Focusing
Attention
News you can Use: Foundations of School
Readiness. HSNRC, August 2012

Prepared for the Office of Head Start by ICF International

What might you

observe when a
child has poor selfregulation skills?

Stay Calm
Routines
Acknowledge
Anticipate
Consistency
Choices
Words to Express
Emotions
Warnings

Prepared for the Office of Head Start by ICF International

Inhibitory Control: Attention

The ability to maintain focus on
a person, object or event, or
become deeply involved in an
activity or interaction even when
there are internal or external
distractions
How long would you expect a baby
to be able to pay attention or be involved
in an activity?
News You Can Use ECLKC 8/2012

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Engaging Toys
and
Experiences

Familiar
faces
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News you can Use: Foundations of School Readiness. HSNRC, August 2012

Engage Parents

What are these parents

doing that could be
supporting the child's
attention span?
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Yes!

News you can Use: Foundations of School

Readiness. HSNRC, August 2012

News you can Use: Foundations of School Readiness. HSNRC, August 2012

Working toward a specific goal despite obstacles

or failures.

Prepared for the Office of Head Start by ICF International

Think, Pair, Share

With a partner, think of
some things teachers can do
to support persistence.
Now think of things you can
help parents do to support
persistence.
Be prepared to share your
ideas.
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To Support Persistence
Offer emotional support
with language
Scaffolding-Help, but not too
much
Watch for frustration and
provide encouragement.
Offer challenge to maintain
interest.
Prepared for the Office of Head Start by ICF International

Cognitive Flexibility
The ability to easily and quickly switch perspectives
of the focus of attention, flexibly adjusting to
changed demands or prioritiesbeing able to apply
different rules in different settings.

Thinking about ways to solve problems that

no one else has considered before
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Prepared for the Office of Head Start by ICF International

 Provide scaffolding by asking

open-ended questions
Point out problems in books and real life
Provide interesting toys
Pretend play

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Promote EF skills--Engage Families

Research indicates that
about half of the effects of
poverty in early childhood
relate to family and
parenting factors.
If we can promote effective
parenting and family
functioning in early
childhood, we may be able
to prevent lifelong problems
for children.

Lengua, ECLKC Front Porch Broadcast; Paul Tough, How Children Succeed.

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Time to Test Your

Executive Function Skills!
TIME TO PLAY! TEST YOUR EF
SKILLS
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33

Effortful Control
Simon Says

Simon Says-example of inhibiting control under

one circumstance (Simon didnt say) but
responding to the command under another
(Simon Says)
Prepared for the Office of Head Start by ICF International

Inhibitory Control: Focus

Test Your Focus

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/06/07/technology/20100607-distractionfiltering-demo.html?_r=0
Prepared for the Office of Head Start by ICF International

Stroop Color Word Test

Work in groups of 3
One person takes the test
One person marks right or wrong on the cards
One person is the timer

Read each word on the cards as fast as you

can.
Say the color of the letters rather than the
word the letters spell.
When you finish, switch roles.
Prepared for the Office of Head Start by ICF International

Engaging parents
Evans and Schamberg
at Cornell University
examined the EF skill of
working memory-the
ability to keep a
number of facts in your
head at the same time.
Remember Simon?
Encourage parents to
play memory games
with their children.
Prepared for the Office of Head Start by ICF International

http://www.freegames.ws/games/kidsgame
s/simon/simon.htm

Sources
CLASS Dimensions Guide: www.Teachstone.org
Dumbro, Amy et al. Powerful Interactions: How to Connect with Children
to Extend their Learning www.naeyc.org
Galinsky, Ellen (2010) Mind in the Making. HarperCollins. New York.
Lengua, Liliana (2013) Foundations for Social, Emotional and Academic
Competence: Economic Disadvantage and the Development of Effortful
Control ECLKC Front Porch Broadcast calls. May 2013
https://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/hslc/ttasystem/teaching/Broadcast%20Calls/000721-fps-broadcast-call-effortfulcontrol.pdf;YW5uamFubmV5c2NodWx0eg==

Tough, Paul (2012) How Children Succeed .Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

New York. (pp. 17, 18)

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Contact Information

Ann Janney-Schultz
Virginia ECE Manager, Infant Toddler Specialist
Head Start Training and Technical Assistance System

Ann.janney-schultz@icfi.com
540-520-2171

Prepared for the Office of Head Start by ICF International

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