This post is part one of a series.
Attention is a multifaceted process that manages the mental controls needed for school or work. Filtering incoming information to determine its importance (saliency), directing productivity and work quality, and avoiding distractions are critical. Differences in attention skills almost always combine with issues in executive functioning (EF). Many missed mastering EF skills alongside their peers, so they will need to be re-taught and practiced again. Executive functioning difficulties can manifest in many ways. This blog post describes two.
Executive Function Challenge #1: Organizing, Prioritizing, and Initiating Tasks
Many with ADHD struggle with the EF skills of task initiation, especially when the tasks aren’t inherently interesting or are complex. “This essay has so many parts! It’s impossible to get started!” is a common complaint. Over time, one can learn to separate the task into individual components, which makes them more manageable. For example, Nora (from my last blog post) was working on a complex reading assignment and realized she would need to select quotes, so she flagged them as she read. This saved time and reduced her stress by not having to search for them later. Nora found she enjoyed reading the dialogue, so working on that part of the assignment was a way to complete one aspect and ease herself into the entire essay.
One key to organization is “backwards planning,” or noting the due date and working backwards to set a realistic timeline for completing each aspect. Breaking down tasks in this way supports completing them and overcoming executive function challenges. Nora felt less anxious because it was possible to check off each part by adhering to her own schedule. No more last-minute frantic rush to get the assignment done.
There are many digital tools available to support organization and planning. Some allow students to map out an entire semester, while others are flexible digital planners that can sync across devices. Certain tools are designed to integrate academic assignments with other areas of life, like sports, other extracurriculars, family obligations, and study routines—offering a holistic view of a student’s schedule. Some platforms offer highly visual and customizable timelines that appeal to many creative students with ADHD who prefer to see only their day or week. Other tools include game-like features that make to-do lists more engaging and interactive.
Using any of these strategies and tools increases productivity and organization, supports stronger executive function skills, and helps reduce stress. These types of tools can be found with search engines or in app marketplaces using terms such as “student planner,” “task manager,” “to-do list,” or “visual schedule,” and combining these keywords with “ADHD” or “executive function.”
Executive Function Challenge #2: Maintaining Alertness, Sustaining Effort, and Appropriate Speed
Managing the appropriate pace and modulating one’s efforts through self-regulation can be tricky for individuals with ADHD. The ability to resist distractions and maintain focus can also be a significant challenge. Passive learning activities such as lectures, online classes, and lengthy meetings may decrease alertness. “How can the boss keep talking? No one is listening!” Information may be glossed over or work may be started without adequate thought or simply rushed through. Having extra time on a test is a common accommodation for students, but few with ADHD actually use the extra time. “When I’m done, I’m done!”
There are tools that can assist with modulating speed and increasing focus for students like Lyla (again, from the last post). Many of these tools are designed to support time management and sustained attention by incorporating visual incentives, timers, and task lists. Some are especially well-suited for younger students, with gamified point-based systems or virtual rewards. Others help build time awareness by using visual progress indicators or by simulating the passage of time with engaging graphics—like growing a tree or filling a progress bar.
Some tools are based on strategies like the Pomodoro Technique, which alternates focused work sessions with brief, scheduled breaks. These can allow students to customize work and break intervals, track productivity, and block distractions from other digital stimuli. In many apps, the ability to monitor one’s progress and visualize the completion of tasks also brings a sense of accomplishment and can reduce procrastination. Search for these tools using words like “focus timer,” “improve focus app,” “stay focused app,” or “task completion app.”
Highlighting can also be successful, if done judiciously. It is a diagnostic indicator that if the student highlights large swaths of material, they are having difficulty determining what is important (salient). I teach students to highlight using one color for the main idea, another for a new vocabulary word, and another for important details since color enhances memory. Once again, there are tools available that support note-taking and offer various features, such as highlighting, and some can recognize a student’s handwriting. Colored, removable sticky notes—digital or physical if using regular textbooks—are another useful option.
Additionally, when reading fiction, pausing to anticipate what will happen next, orally or in a quick note, is an effective way to be a more active reader. Interestingly, memory and recall are enhanced whether the prediction is correct or not! These methods, which many digital tools offer, allow for an organized and rapid review of material. Try searching for “note-taking app” or “handwriting note-taking app.”
Like attention, executive functioning has many aspects. They may overlap or become more obvious at different ages and in different settings. Understanding executive functioning skills’ relationship to ADHD is critical to designing age-appropriate, individualized, and effective approaches. Given the timing of this post, summer vacation may be an ideal time for exploring these strategies and tools.