Notas del episodio
Executive Functioning Isn’t About “Trying Harder.” It’s About Development.
When children struggle with planning, impulse control, emotional regulation, or task completion, it’s easy to assume they’re being unmotivated or defiant. But executive functioning isn’t a skill children decide to use — it’s a set of brain-based capacities that develop over time and through relationships.
From a developmental and child-centered lens, executive functioning grows through: • Co-regulation before self-regulation • Safe, attuned relationships • Play that allows for problem-solving, flexibility, and emotional expression • Adults who scaffold rather than control
When we expect executive functioning beyond a child’s developmental capacity, we create shame instead of skill. When we support it through connection, safety, a ...