Classroom hurdles—work completion, problem‑solving, task initiation—usually stem from executive‑function skills, not from a lack of effort or intelligence.
For neurodivergent learners, these struggles may include difficulty transitioning between tasks, managing time effectively, or organizing materials in a way that supports their learning process.
Executive functioning is the brain’s management system. It helps individuals plan, organize, and execute tasks efficiently.
For learners who are neurodiverse, EF difficulties can greatly impact learning, social interactions, and daily living skills.
Despite the crucial role EF plays in academic and personal success, these skills are not always explicitly included when developing Individualized Education Programs (IEPs). It is essential to set IEP goals for executive functioning to ensure that these skills are addressed.
When EF skills are intentionally addressed during the learning process, students receive the structured support they need to build essential life skills. Identifying specific executive functioning skills is crucial for creating measurable objectives that target areas requiring improvement.
This article explores how educators and specialists can identify executive functioning (EF) needs, write meaningful goals, and embed EF skill development into classroom support and specially-designed instruction (SDI).
Introduction to Executive Functioning
Executive functioning refers to a set of mental skills that enable individuals to plan, organize, manage time, regulate emotions, and complete tasks. These skills are crucial for academic and social success, as they help students navigate daily life activities and school demands. Executive functioning skills include planning, organization, time management, and self-regulation, which are essential for completing tasks and achieving academic success. When students struggle with these skills, they may find it challenging to keep up with assignments, manage their time effectively, and maintain appropriate emotional responses in various situations. Understanding and supporting the development of executive functioning skills can significantly enhance a student’s ability to succeed both academically and socially.
An Overview of Individualized Education Programs (IEPs)
An Individualized Education Program (IEP) is a legal document designed to support students with disabilities by providing special instruction, accommodations, and other services as needed to access one’s education. These supports are tailored to a learner’s unique needs. In addition to addressing challenges, IEPs can also highlight and build upon a student’s strengths, fostering confidence and promoting skill development in areas where they excel. To qualify for an IEP, a student undergoes an evaluation process to determine if they have a disability that impacts their ability to succeed in school, requiring specialized instruction.
Once a student is found eligible, a team including parents, teachers, specialists, and other participants, as identified by the team, work together to create measurable goals. These goals address specific areas of need to help the student build skills, overcome challenges, and gain independence. This plan is then reviewed at least once annually to ensure the plan is supporting the student’s progress and growth. Mid-year IEP reviews are essential to assess a student’s progress toward executive functioning goals. Engaging students in the IEP process fosters skills like self-awareness and accountability, contributing to their motivation and commitment.
Identifying Student Needs
Executive functioning skills vary based on a student’s neurodivergence, reflecting different ways of processing information rather than deficits. Conditions such as ADHD, autism, learning disabilities, genetic disorders, and intellectual disabilities can involve executive‑function differences. These are variations in cognitive style, not deficits, and they show up differently for every learner. Diagnoses are only one piece of the puzzle, as providers are likely to evaluate executive functioning needs through formal and informal assessments.
A list of different ways to measure executive functioning skills to track progress include:
- Observation of the learner while completing tasks
- Interviews with parents, teachers, and the learners themselves.
- Rating scales are meant to measure various executive functioning skills (e.g., BRIEF-2, CEFI, D-REF, Brown EF/A Scales, etc.).
- Direct assessments meant to elicit executive functions in a controlled setting (e.g., NEPSY, EFT-E: NU, etc.).
Additionally, working memory skills are crucial in educational settings, as they directly correlate with academic performance.
Root Cause Analysis
In special education, a root cause analysis is a process used to identify the underlying reasons why a student is struggling in a particular area, rather than just addressing surface-level symptoms. This involves looking beyond the obvious challenges to determine whether difficulties stem from factors such as executive functioning deficits, processing speed, working memory, language comprehension, or other learning differences, which are crucial for completing complex tasks. The IEP team can best pinpoint specific skill gaps and develop targeted interventions that support a student’s needs when they take a “deep dive” into the “why” behind a student’s challenges.
Stronger working‑memory skills help students recall sequences, follow multi‑step directions, and join classroom discussions with confidence.
Creating Measurable IEP Goals
After determining why a learner is struggling and what support will help teach those skills, it’s important to focus on creating specific, measurable skills when creating IEP goals. A SMART goal framework is helpful to ensure the goal has clearly defined expectations, such as how often the student will demonstrate a skill, with what level of accuracy, and within a specific timeframe. Below is a helpful visual that outlines how to create IEP goals, using a structured formula.
IEP goals should target executive‑function hurdles such as task initiation, organization, and time management. Skills like keeping materials in order, tracking assignments, and preparing for lessons lay the groundwork for academic independence.
During the evaluation process, it is important to consider what might be driving the academic challenges. The root cause analysis will guide the team to identifying what need underlies the student difficulties in academic and/or social situations. In the event that executive functioning underlies a learner’s academic struggles, the two can be combined to address content-specific difficulties. The explanations below identify some ways how EF difficulties can manifest in math, writing, reading, and social skills, while providing examples of goals that target both needs.
Mathematics
Since math is a skill that continues to build on previously learned skills, it’s an area often impacted by executive functioning challenges, especially for students who struggle to follow multi-step instructions.
For example, if math is an area of concern, a root-cause analysis helps the team identify if the learner needs instruction in math-specific skills such as math calculation skills, getting quicker with math facts, or learning specific problem-solving strategies. It’s also possible that the student may demonstrate executive functioning challenges that impede the ability to do math work, such as having great difficulty organizing the steps of completing a math problem and getting “stuck” on how to initiate solving a math word problem. Using a visual timer like this one can help students break math tasks into smaller steps and manage time effectively.
Introducing strategies to improve task completion can significantly enhance a student’s efficiency in managing and completing assignments.
Difficulty in any of these areas can then result in procrastination, where a student may struggle to complete math tasks due to needing additional support in one or more of those areas mentioned.
Two examples of some math-specific executive functioning IEP goals include:
- When given a multi-step math problem and a graphic organizer, [Student Name] will break the problem into steps and solve it accurately with 80% accuracy in 4 out of 5 trials within one grading period.
- When provided with a visual timer, [Student Name] will complete independent math tasks within the allotted time with 75% accuracy in 4 out of 5 trials over one semester.
Writing
Writing is a complex task that requires planning, organizing ideas, remembering details, staying focused, and strong organizational skills. All these skills can be categorized as executive functioning. When learners struggle with executive functioning skills, this can make it difficult to brainstorm ideas, structure their thoughts into sentences in written form, or remember task demands as they write. Difficulties with executive functioning can also look like staring at a blank page without getting started, rushing through their work without checking for mistakes, and struggling to get their assignments in on time.
Self-monitoring is also crucial in writing, as it helps students adjust their behaviors for future improvements, such as impulse control, emotional regulation, and problem-solving.
Two examples of writing-specific executive functioning IEP goals include:
- When given a writing prompt and a graphic organizer, [Student Name] will generate and organize ideas before writing with 80% accuracy in 3 out of 4 trials over one quarter.
- When given a checklist and teacher modeling, [Student Name] will independently edit and revise their writing for grammar, punctuation, and structure with 80% accuracy in 4 out of 5 trials over eight weeks.
Reading
Reading requires attention, working memory, and flexible thinking, which are crucial executive functioning skills. Following multi-step directions accurately and independently is essential for improving reading comprehension.
Working memory skills are vital in educational settings, as they help students recall sequences of numbers or follow multi-step directions, directly impacting academic performance.
Difficulties with executive functioning include having trouble staying focused while reading, remembering details from the text, or making connections between ideas. These challenges often impact a student’s reading comprehension or their ability to understand what’s being read and connect the new information to information they already know.
Two examples of some reading-specific executive functioning IEP goals include:
- When given a reading passage and guided questions, [Student Name] will use active reading strategies (e.g., highlighting key details, summarizing paragraphs) to answer comprehension questions with 80% accuracy in 4 out of 5 trials by this time next year.
- When given a fiction or nonfiction text, [Student Name] will identify the main ideas and two supporting details with 80% accuracy in 3 out of 4 trials over the next nine weeks.
Social Skills
Social skills rely heavily on executive functioning skills such as self-regulation and flexible thinking. Communication styles vary, and executive‑function challenges shape how learners navigate them. A student may blurt without pausing, drift off topic, miss conversational turns, or overlook the impact of their words on others. This might look like expressing thoughts impulsively, finding it challenging to shift between topics, or focusing intently on specific ideas without immediately integrating others’ perspectives.
An appropriate emotional response is crucial in managing tasks and transitions, especially for children with executive dysfunction. Emotional regulation includes managing frustration, anxiety, and impulse control. Emotional regulation difficulties can also make it harder to stay calm during conflict, handle frustration, or adapt to unexpected changes in social situations. Life Skills has a variety of social skills goals available to inspire teams.
Self-monitoring is another key component in understanding and adjusting one’s own behaviors for future improvements. Two examples of some social-emotional specific executive functioning IEP goals include:
- When presented with an unexpected change in routine, [Student Name] will use a visual or verbal self-regulation strategy to remain calm and flexible with 75% accuracy in 4 out of 5 trials by this time next year.
- When engaged in a group activity, [Student Name] will respond to peer perspectives by making a relevant comment or asking a clarifying question with 75% accuracy in 3 out of 4 trials over the next nine weeks.
Addressing Challenges
Addressing executive functioning challenges requires a comprehensive approach that includes explicit instruction, practice, and reinforcement. Special education teachers can provide targeted interventions and accommodations to support students with executive functioning deficits. This may include using graphic organizers to help students structure their thoughts, visual reminders to keep track of assignments, and coping strategies to manage stress and emotions. Students often require scaffolding and accommodations to achieve their executive functioning goals. By teaching students how to prioritize tasks and manage their time effectively, educators can help them develop the skills they need to succeed academically and socially. Providing explicit instruction and consistent reinforcement ensures that students can practice and internalize these skills, leading to improved performance and greater independence.
Explicit Instruction
Explicit instruction is a critical component of teaching executive functioning skills. This involves providing clear, step-by-step instructions and demonstrations to help students understand and apply executive functioning skills. Special education teachers can use a variety of strategies, including visual supports, graphic organizers, and hands-on activities, to provide explicit instruction and support students with executive functioning deficits. For example, a teacher might use a graphic organizer to help a student break down a complex task into manageable steps or use visual supports to remind students of the steps involved in completing an assignment. By providing explicit instruction, teachers can help students develop the skills they need to complete tasks, manage time, and regulate emotions, ultimately leading to greater academic success and independence.
Executive Functioning IEP Goals Implementation
Implementing executive functioning IEP goals requires a collaborative approach that involves special education teachers, general education teachers, and other support staff. This involves providing targeted interventions and accommodations to support students with executive functioning deficits, as well as tracking progress and making adjustments as needed. Measurable IEP goals should be developed using the SMART criteria, which includes specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound objectives. For example, a goal might specify that a student will use a graphic organizer to plan their writing assignments with 80% accuracy by the end of the school year. By implementing executive functioning IEP goals, teachers can help students develop the skills they need to achieve academic success and independence. Regular progress monitoring and collaboration among the IEP team ensure that the goals remain relevant and effective, providing the structured support students need to thrive.
Collaboration Between Home and School
Teams should work together to identify any executive function skill needs and ensure that IEP goals address any identified needs in a meaningful and measurable way, particularly focusing on how students may struggle to track assignments. Input from teachers, families, specialists, and the learner helps create a full picture of how these challenges can appear in different settings. Collaboration ensures that any identified strategies, accommodations, and interventions are aligned and implemented to support academic performance and social interactions. Regular reviews are essential to evaluate a student’s progress towards their educational goals and make necessary adjustments.
Additional Resources
Life Skills Advocate has a variety of free resources available to support IEP teams in developing meaningful, individualized education plans for students who need executive functioning support. Additionally, books like our Real-Life Executive Functioning WorkbookSmart but Scattered provide practical strategies for parents and educators to support executive functioning skills at home and in school. Teacher observations are also crucial in measuring student progress and success in achieving specific educational goals.
One of our free tools is our Free EF IEP Goal Bank, which provides a collection of goals that can be customized to fit the learner’s needs. Whether a student needs support with organization, self-regulation, or daily living skills, these resources give teams a starting point to create personalized goals.
There is also an updated version of our Free Executive Functioning Assessment now available for professionals, families, teachers, and neurodiverse learners to fully explore their executive functioning strengths and challenges. IEP teams can use this resource as one component of an evaluation or even a way to monitor student progress in one or more areas of EF skills.
TL;DR – (Too Long; Didn’t Read)
Executive functioning skills such as organization, task initiation, self-regulation, and flexible thinking are essential for academic and personal success but can be overlooked when developing Individualized Education Programs (IEPs). The ability to prioritize assignments based on their impact on grades is important for students’ academic success. Neurodivergent learners may struggle with EF skills, which should be distinguished from support needed for developing academic skills versus executive function skills.
An IEP is a legal document designed to support students with disabilities by providing special instruction, accommodations, and services tailored to meet their needs. In addition to addressing areas of need, IEPs can also be strengths-based, helping students leverage their abilities to build confidence and independence in their learning process. Parents, teachers, other professionals, and learners should collaborate to create IEP goals that are individualized, specific, and measurable to help students gain independence. Tracking task success is crucial to ensure that students are progressing toward their IEP goals. Executive functioning goals can be written to address certain skills in the context of academics, such as reading, math, and writing or within social and emotional goals. Setting measurable goals enables educators to assess student progress accurately and adjust strategies accordingly, thereby ensuring effective support for students with various learning needs.
Further Reading
- Life Skills Advocate (2024) – How To Use SMART Goal Setting to Teach Daily Living Skills
- Life Skills Advocate (2025) – Pinpoint Executive Function Strengths & Challenges in Minutes. Get Your FREE Assessment!
- Life Skills Advocate (2024) – The Importance of Home & School Collaboration When Developing Daily Living Skills
- Life Skills Advocate (2025) – Welcome to The Executive Functioning IEP Goal Resource Hub
- Life Skills Advocate (2024) – 79 Social Skills IEP Goals for Lasting Student Success
- EdNavigator (2025) – What Parents Need to Know About IEPs
- Understood — 5 ways executive function challenges can impact math
- US Department of Education (2025) – Root Cause Analysis In Action