When Students Can Achieve Yet They Don't - Executive Function Disorder

Executive functions begin to develop in babyhood and continue to strengthen into early adulthood.  It’s these executive functions that help us to accomplish everyday tasks, to learn, and to achieve our goals.  Executive functions allow us to best use the intelligence we have.  Many students who are smart enough to succeed find it difficult to keep up in class because their executive functions are weak.  These important executive functions include: 

     • the ability to maintain attention, to persevere with focus when appropriate.  The ability to hold an intention, plan the activity, get started, monitor progress, and follow through to completion.

   • the ability to shift attention when necessary, having mental flexibility to move on to other subjects, such as when changing class material in school.  Shifting ability also allows us to adapt to new environments.

    • organization – maintaining orderliness, prioritizing, being prepared     

    • time management – scheduling, awareness of assignments, planning ahead, preparation, understanding the consequences of procrastination, control of tendencies to get lost in activities such as playing video games 

   • short term working memory – ability to recall instructions and newly presented knowledge. Long term memory is increased and refined via a well-developed short term working memory.  

   • impulse control and emotional regulation – behaving appropriately, having successful social interactions and peer pressure management, avoiding risky actions, resisting off-track impulses      

At Lear Educational Center we teach learning skills and strategies that enhance the executive functions of our students.  We provide one to one academic coaching and tutoring on all levels, primary through college, for most subjects and for most standardized tests.

We interface with schools, working with the curriculum appropriate for each student to meet IEP and remediation goals to bring him up to grade level and to advance.  We specialize in teaching students with learning differences, accommodate and compensate for their individual needs.

 Our tutoring services are available on campus, online, or at our facility.

Lear Educational Center - providing tutoring services to students from Allentown, Bethlehem, Easton, Greater Lehigh Valley and Northwest New Jersey since 2000