Executive Function Skills - Smart Kids

Original URL: https://www.smartkidswithld.org/getting-help/executive-function-disorder/ef-skills-task-initiation/

Students with executive function difficulties who have weak task-initiation skills find they either don’t know where to start a task, or they can’t find the motivation to take the first steps.

It’s now widely understood that procrastination stems from an emotional place as opposed to poor time management or laziness. Research suggests that putting off unpleasant tasks is a coping mechanism for dealing with challenging emotions or moods. For example, an upcoming exam might cause your child to feel anxious, insecure, or inadequate. Postponing studying is a way to avoid those negative feelings, but as a strategy it often backfires: not only is your child aware that they’re putting off an important task, but they also know that not preparing will ultimately hurt them.

Like most skills, task initiation can be improved with intentional, concrete instruction. Following are some guidelines to help your child in this area:

1. Provide supports

Difficulty getting started is often prompted by difficult tasks. Provide environmental supports to make tasks more accessible to your child. Examples include posting math equations on a chart by their desk, watching an animated video about a science process before answering questions in a text book, or sorting the mess in their room into like piles before asking them to pick up.

Teach your child both to look up explanations of confusing topics (or ask you, if they’re young) and to write down questions they couldn’t answer on their own. Ideally they can ask those questions in class the next day, but if they don’t yet have those self-advocacy skills, help them take advantage of one-on-one opportunities for support by seeking extra help from their teacher or a tutor.

*Pro-Tip**: Ask your child’s teachers if you can have copies of the supports they post in their classrooms and hang them on the wall by your child’s desk.*

2. Break it down

Many tasks are overwhelming because of their complexity, open-endedness, or the time your child anticipates spending on them. In those cases, break it down.  Your child might benefit from knowing the concrete steps needed to complete a project.

Older children should identify and write down the steps, and if they can be completed over multiple days, put those mini due dates in their planner.  For younger children, either write the steps down with them or give them just one step at a time to complete, keeping track of what’s next yourself.

Pro-Tip: For processes that come up often—daily homework, writing an essay, cleaning a room—teach your child a routine. Make a reusable step-by-step list and place it in a sheet protector so your child can check steps off with a dry-erase marker. 

 3. Increase the value of the task

When the effort a task requires exceeds the reward your child gets for completing it, the motivation to get started may be low. While your child is learning something new or figuring out a routine to make something difficult more accessible, you can support the process by offering a reward.

Rewards need not be expensive and should decrease in frequency as your child learns to complete the task with less effort. Some rewards that don’t cost money include a family game night, picking what’s for dinner, staying up (or out) later than usual, and a day without chores.

Pro-Tip: A token economy whereby children can earn points and decide when to cash them in for rewards of different values provides incentive for a long time. You can rotate rewards as your child’s interests change and can also adjust how they earn points depending on current goals.

4. Work together to limit distractions

When a task is hard to start, the probability that your child’s attention will drift increases. Limit distractions so they can focus their energy on the task at hand.  Have a conversation with your child to ask the following questions:

5. Sympathize & normalize

The reality is that we all struggle with task initiation sometimes. Undoubtedly you have some to-do item that’s been on your list longer than it should be, and we all have some way that we reward ourselves for the tasks we least enjoy. It’s important to be honest about those truths, both so that you can find patience when your child seems to be stubbornly procrastinating and so that they feel empowered to find a solution when they can’t get started.

Is This Your Child?

If you answer “yes” to any of these questions, your child will benefit from strategies to improve their task-initiation ability:

Does your child…

Jenna Prada, a certified teacher and administrator, is the founder of the Learning Link and the Director of Executive Functioning & Special Education at Private Prep.