Are you or your child struggling with executive functioning skills? This can make getting homework done, taking a test, and especially studying a serious challenge.
Fortunately, not all is lost. Although it might be difficult for you or your child to handle organization, planning, time management, and self-discipline tasks – all hallmarks of executive functioning issues – there are a few tips you can try to make it easier for your child to ace his next test.
Here’s what you need to know!
Why is Studying a Challenge For People With Executive Functioning Deficits?
It’s no secret that kids with executive functioning issues have a tendency to struggle with school – and studying is an intrinsic part of that.
If you or your child are struggling with executive functioning, it might be difficult to plan, focus, manage his time, set goals, or even get organized.
Paying attention is another challenge for people with executive functioning issues, too.
Fortunately, there are things you can do to improve these skills and make it easier to study.
How to Make Studying Executive Function Friendly
Here are a few things you can do to make it easier for a person with executive functioning challenges (or other unique learning needs, for that matter) to study.
1. Have a Plan in Place
One of the best ways to become better at studying is to plan. Plan, plan, plan – and then plan some more.
Having a clear plan in place will make it easier to see and understand that everything must be done in a more organized way. Rather than deciding to mindlessly flip through flashcards for twenty minutes – an act that probably won’t yield the best results – you can come up with a plan together that takes a more targeted approach.
Consult with the teacher to find out what format the test will be in. That way, it will be easier to visually map out the exam and organize how to study in advance.
Build a daily, weekly, or longer-term schedule that takes into account all classes and upcoming exams. By creating a schedule that dedicates study time to each class, he will be more likely to sit down and study, since it’s part of his regular routine.
Not only that, but this will reduce the likelihood that you (or your child, if that’s the person who’s struggling with executive functioning issues) will attempt to “cram” all of this studying into the night before the test – a strategy that, unfortunately, just does not work for anyone.
2. Rewrite Notes
This is a study tip that works well for everyone – not just people with executive functioning issues.
I’ll tell you more about how to make notes more effective for studying later on in this post, but for now, just know that rewriting notes is a great way to review the information that’s going to be on the test. Writing things down is one of the best ways to transfer information from short-term into long-term memory.
Plus, rather than just skimming over sections of the textbook or other materials needed to prepare for a test, this is an active behavior that will allow you to use your tactile senses to engrain the information more permanently.
3. Make Flashcards – and Use Them
Flashcards can be helpful, but only if you go about them the right way. They don’t work for every subject or topic (they’re not the best for critical thinking or writing questions, for example) but for things like vocabulary and formulas, they’re perfect.
The key to making flashcards work for kids with executive functioning issues is to make the flashcards yourself, rather than just using premade ones. Again, writing information down will help solidify it in your memory. Plus, it will help to create a more personal connection to the material.
4. Take a Look at Old Tests and Quizzes
An area of executive functioning that many students struggle with is in reflecting upon past behaviors to make future decisions.
Go back and look at old tests and quizzes as part of his studying routine. Look at the format of each question as well as the mistakes that were made. Use a colored pen to circle questions that he knows, doesn’t know, or is unsure about, with a different color used for each type of question.
This will help differentiate between the questions and make it easier to slow down and focus on the questions that are especially challenging.
5. Make a Review Packet
This can be time-consuming and might not be worth it for shorter assignments, like brief weekly quizzes. However, for large exams, like finals that count for a large portion of the grade, making a review packet is a great way to make studying more executive functioning friendly.
Go through old exams and other assignments to figure out what’s going to be on the final – then, make a list of possible questions and go through the review packet often.
6. Have a Dedicated Study Space
Create a space in the home that is just for homework and studying. For kids with executive functioning issues, having a medley of home-based workspaces at their disposal only spells disaster.
It makes it harder to stay organized and makes it more likely that supplies and study materials will be misplaced.
Therefore, at the beginning of the school year, it’s a good idea to create one homework space, whether it’s the kitchen table, the desk in the bedroom, or somewhere else in the home. That way, when you’re in that space, it’s time to work.
7. Break it Up
Less is more when it comes to studying – don’t get into the habit of doing all of the studying the night before an exam. Instead, break things up.
Look at the test material long before the test is due to occur. Figure out together how much studying time might be needed for the test, based on its difficulty, its overall worth, and how comfortable you or your child are with the material.
Then, create a schedule that requires studying in smaller increments – but over a longer period of time.
8. Make a Checklist
Checklists and charts are incredibly helpful for kids with executive functioning issues. Create a daily school-to-home checklist of all the study materials that need to make it into the backpack.
That way, there’s no last-minute panic of, “I forgot my notes and flashcards at school!” when trying to study the night before the test.
You can also make checklists of other tasks and items related to studying, such as a checklist of which items need to be reviewed for certain exams.
9. Model Note Taking – and Use Templates
If it’s your child who is struggling with executive functioning, being a good role model is one of the best things you can do. Whenever you can, explicitly model behaviors that your child needs to study independently. Good study skills, as you likely know, start with great note-taking.
Here’s an example of how to do that, but know that you can model note-taking in any way that makes sense for you and your child’s unique learning needs. The goal here is to show your child how to effectively organize and summarize important information on paper.
There are even note-taking templates you can use, setting up your template as two-column question-and-answer formats that your child can fill in once he’s in class or a three-column format that prompts students to write down strategies (like mnemonic devices) they can use to recall the information.
Graphic organizers can be helpful as well.
10. Teach Your Child How to Study
The issue that most children – especially those with executive functioning issues – tend to have is that they just don’t know how to study.
In order to perform well on tests, most students need explicit instruction in how to study, particularly in how to distinguish the most important information from the less important information.
Teach your child clear strategies on how to study, like how to make and use flashcards, mind maps, note-taking systems, and more.
Why Knowing How to Study is Important For Lifelong Success
If you or your child have a hard time sitting down to study, it might not always manifest itself as academic difficulties.
Some people are naturally gifted at retaining information the first time they hear it – and may not need to study (or study very hard) in order to do well on a test.
However, this can still be problematic later on in life. Being able to study material indicates a good grasp on the executive functioning skills that are necessary for success later in life, such as:
- Time management
- Organization of thoughts and materials
- Planning and prioritizing
- Task initiation
- Problem-solving
…and much more!
Because of this, learning the best strategies to study is one of the best gifts you can give to yourself – or to your child. Get started with these tips today!
Further Reading
- Check out our free EF assessment
- Download our Real-Life Executive Functioning Workbook (coupon code LSA20 for 20% off at checkout)
- Amy Sippl: Executive Functioning Skills 101: All About Organization
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: Effective Note-Taking in Class
- University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences: 10 Effective Study Techniques to Try This Year
- Amy Sippl: Executive Functioning Skills 101: The Basics Of Planning