Weak executive functions: what to do in the classroom
Executive functions play a major role in academic success. When a pupil has difficulties in this area, it is essential to offer appropriate support. Many teaching practices already contribute to developing these skills; understanding their usefulness will allow you to maximise their effects.
1. Adapt the task and environment
○ Offer short, explicit and unambiguous exercises.
○ Give detailed instructions, accompany them with an oral or visual presentation of the task, then quickly check that they have been understood.
○ Use ‘road maps’ or diagrams to support the progression of activities.
2. Establish a stable structure
○ Put a fixed routine in place: a visible timetable, clear rituals at the beginning and end of each session.
○ Arrange the classroom in rows facing the board; this limits distractions and encourages attention (Barkley, 2013; Dovis et al., 2016; Gremmen et al., 2016).
3. Reduce sources of distraction
○ Encourage a calm setting: fewer stimuli in the workspace help pupils to concentrate (Schmeier & Horeweg, 2018).
4. Clarify the objectives
○ Clearly explain the purpose of each lesson to direct pupils' attention towards what they need to learn.
5. Anticipate the expected behaviour
○ Before starting, discuss with the class the attitudes and working rules you wish to see (Horeweg, 2020; 2021).
6. Activate prior knowledge
○ Draw on what pupils already know about the subject to engage their working memory (Didau & Rose, 2019).
7. Teach planning
○ Introduce them to thinking ahead by using checklists, for example: these tools make organisation easier and prevent things from being forgotten.
8. Analyse mistakes and find solutions.
○ After a setback (such as homework left at home), discuss what went wrong and develop strategies together to prevent it happening again, rather than reprimanding.
9. Use dedicated resources
○ ‘Conversation cards’ about executive functions can guide discussions and strengthen metacognition.
By applying these principles, you offer pupils with weak executive functions an environment that supports their development and success.
The ‘right’ moment is always the one when we are in a good state of mind: it depends entirely on the autistic person's (AS) present state. Indeed, we can be mistaken when assessing our own level of functioning. During a period of depression, anxiety, loss of concentration or fatigue, an AS person may temporarily be unable to draw on their executive functions. In future, strengthened by experience, they will learn to recognise and choose the moments when they truly feel well to commit their resources to an activity.
Managing attention
Some AS people find it difficult to move smoothly from one task to another: they may remain stuck on one point at the expense of other important elements. Where allistic brains have a ‘rotary dial’ for finely adjusting their level of attention, autistic people sometimes seem to operate with an on/off switch.
Organising information
Other AS people struggle to sort and categorise data, resulting in often disorganised living spaces: a wallet, handbag or backpack, car, desk, or even an entire room in the house may suffer.
Social cognition
Researchers in social cognition have identified four stages of successful social behaviour:
1. Gather relevant information
2. Analyse this information
3. Make a judgement about how to behave
4. Implement the appropriate response
Operating in ‘manual mode’
The AS person carries out each of these stages in ‘manual mode’. With experience, they can enter a light trance state to reduce mental activity and allow more room for intuition: the right (intuitive) hemisphere takes precedence over the left (rational) hemisphere, through moderate inhibition of the frontal cortex. To reach this trance state, the first step is to regain an inner calm — or, sometimes, a state of delight — similar to what non-autistic (allistic) people experience when they naturally switch to intuitive autopilot.
Misinterpreting signals and remarks is common. The people concerned (AS) know that they make social blunders because they notice the unfavourable reactions of those around them and struggle to achieve their personal social goals.
Among the most common signs:
● Being ignored.
● Receiving vague or indirect comments (for example: ‘You are insensitive’ or ‘That was inappropriate’) without any concrete details.
● Regularly encountering angry or hostile reactions.
There is also a lack of satisfying friendships and few opportunities to meet people, even though this feedback provides useful signals for identifying social errors. However, it does not provide the information needed to make progress and succeed socially. Improvement is possible, but we remain AS people.
Finally, being ignored remains very difficult to endure: obtaining answers and checking one's understanding require a great deal of energy.