Do you find it hard to stay organized or feel that you just don’t get things done? Does it seem as if you could do a lot better if you were better at skills such as planning, focus, organization, time management, and flexibility? If so, there is a good chance that you need to improve your executive-functioning skills. Understanding executive functions can be a powerful first step towards improving academic performance and your ability to have more time for other activities.
The following list provides you with a set of resources about executive functions to explore. Some of the books may include more information than what you want, so we have starred** the ones that have some direct strategies by themselves. The videos can help you better understand your brain and what you can do to build new skills.
Executive Functions Books for Tweens, Teens, and College Students
Welcome to Your Brain: Why You Lose Your Car Keys but Never Forget How to Drive and Other Puzzles of Everyday Life by Sandra Aamodt and Sam Wang (2008)
Train Your Mind for Peak Performance: A Science-Based Approach for Achieving Your Goals Lyle Bourne & Alice Healy (2014)
Exercises for the Whole Brain Allen D. Bragdon and David Gamon (2004)
Change the Way You See Everything Through Asset-Based Thinking for Teens Kathryn Cramer & Hank Wasiak (2009)
Helping Students Remember Exercises and Strategies to Strengthen Memory Includes interactive CD Milton Dehn (2011)
Moonwalking with Einstein: The art and science of remembering everything Joshua Foer (2011)
Smart but Scattered Teens: The “Executive Skills” Program for Helping Teens Reach Their Potential Richard Guare, Peg Dawson & Colin Guare (2012)
The Executive Functioning Workbook for Teens: Help for Unprepared, Late, and Scattered Teens (Instant Help Solutions) Sharon Hansen (2013)
The CEO of Self: An Executive Functioning Workbook Jan Johnston-Tyler (2014)
**Train Your Brain For Success: A Teenager’s Guide To Executive Functions Randy Kulman (2012)
**School made easier: A Kid’s Guide to Study Strategies and Anxiety-Busting Tools Wendy Moss & Robin Acconi (2014)
**Executive Functioning Workbook Melissa Mullin & Karen Fried (2013)
Videos
Teen Brain Describes the teenage brain and the development of certain executive functions. Designed to help parents better understand their children, this “insider” angle may pique a teen’s interest in understanding executive functions.
Let Me Be Your Camera – Understanding ADHD A video created with young people in mind that provides a detailed explanation of ADHD and the executive functions affected by it.
What is Executive Function Teens and adults alike will appreciate this video produced by Cogmed Working Memory Training, a system backed by peer-reviewed research and clinical studies, in which a practitioner explains and gives examples of executive functions.
What is Executive Function? An easy-to-understand video with great visuals that provides a brief introduction on executive functions and defines a variety of skills. Appropriate for tweens and teens.
Why Executive Functions Are So Important In this video education expert Ann Dolin explains the importance of executive functions to teens and adults.
InBrief: Executive Function A video for adults and teens produced by Harvard that explains what executive functions are and provides detailed examples of how they are used.
Executive Function Skills Education expert Georgia Bozeday talks about deficits in executive functions and how to use different skills and strategies to address these concerns. For older teens and adults.
Executive Functioning: Definition and Strategies for Success A video for teens and adults that provides tips and strategies on how to help children who struggle with executive functions.
11 Executive Skills This short animated video on executive functions uses the model of 11 executive functions from Peg Dawson and Richard Guare, authors of Smart but Scattered Teens. For kids, tweens, and teens.
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