You know what you should do.
You sometimes even feel like doing it.
And yet, you put it off.
You start several tasks without finishing them.
You forget certain important steps.
You easily lose track of what you were doing.
In children, this can show up as frequent forgetfulness, difficulty following instructions, or organizing schoolwork.
In adolescents or adults, the difficulties often take the form of chronic disorganization, poor time management, persistent procrastination, or a feeling of being constantly overwhelmed despite the efforts made.
These difficulties aren't always linked to a lack of motivation or willpower.
They can reflect the functioning of what neuroscience calls executive functions.
Our brain's control tower
Imagine a large international airport.
Planes are taking off.
Others are about to land.
Hundreds of pieces of information are circulating simultaneously.
For everything to run smoothly and safely, a control tower coordinates operations, manages priorities, and prevents conflicts.
Executive functions play a similar role in our brain.
They allow us to organize our actions, keep our goals in mind, resist distractions, manage several pieces of information at once, and adapt our behavior when the situation changes.
When this "control tower" struggles to function, daily life can quickly become more complicated.
We may know what needs to be done without managing to do it at the right time, in a sufficiently organized or consistent way.
What are executive functions?
Executive functions are a set of capacities that allow the brain to direct behavior toward a goal.
They come into play when we need to:
-
plan an action;
-
organize several steps;
-
keep a goal in mind;
-
resist distractions;
-
control certain impulses;
-
make decisions;
-
adapt our behavior when the situation changes.
They play a central role in learning, work, relationships, and everyday autonomy.
The main executive functions
Attention The capacity to select relevant information and maintain a goal despite distractions.
Working memory
The capacity to temporarily hold information active in order to use it.
For example:
-
remembering an instruction;
-
doing mental arithmetic;
-
following several steps of a task.
Inhibition
The capacity to resist an impulse or a distraction.
For example:
-
waiting one's turn;
-
not interrupting;
-
resisting an immediate temptation.
Cognitive flexibility
The capacity to change strategy when the situation requires it.
For example:
-
finding a new solution to a problem;
-
adapting to an unexpected change;
-
considering several points of view.
Planning and organization
The capacity to prepare a complex action and anticipate the various steps needed to carry it out.
What we learn from neuroscience
Executive functions rely mainly on the brain's frontal networks and their many connections with the rest of the brain.
Unlike certain capacities that develop earlier, executive functions continue to develop throughout childhood and much of adolescence.
This gradual maturation explains why certain behaviors that seem simple for an adult still represent a challenge for a child.
Executive functions can also be affected by various factors:
-
ADHD;
-
certain learning disorders;
-
chronic stress;
-
anxiety;
-
fatigue;
-
certain neurological or neurodevelopmental conditions.
Executive functions and presence
We often think of executive functions as purely individual capacities.
Yet they develop within a relational environment.
Early in life, a child doesn't regulate their attention, emotions, or behavior on their own.
They rely on the adults around them.
Parents, teachers, and other attachment figures progressively contribute to the development of self-regulation capacities.
The presence of a calm, predictable, and supportive adult acts as an external support that helps the child organize their behavior before they can do it alone.
Little by little, this external regulation becomes internal self-regulation.
Executive functions therefore don't develop solely within the child's brain. They are also built through repeated interactions with the people who accompany the child.
This perspective ties in with the work developed as part of the Brain of Presence project, dedicated to studying how the presence of others influences brain development and functioning.
When should you seek support?
A consultation may be helpful when difficulties with organization or self-regulation:
-
interfere with learning;
-
lead to repeated conflicts at home or at school;
-
complicate work or studies;
-
are accompanied by significant procrastination;
-
raise the possibility of ADHD or other neurodevelopmental difficulties.
How I work
Neuropsychological assessment makes it possible to explore the different components of executive functions and to better understand the difficulties encountered in daily life.
Depending on the situation, it can help identify:
-
attentional difficulties;
-
a working memory deficit;
-
planning difficulties;
-
inhibition problems;
-
certain manifestations of ADHD.
The goal isn't only to measure performance on a test.
It is to understand how the person organizes themselves, learns, makes decisions, and regulates their behavior in daily life.
To go further
Academic learning difficulties
Neuropsychological assessment methods
Academic difficulties in Marseille
I see children, adolescents, and their families in order to better understand the difficulties encountered, identify available resources, and build a tailored course of support.
