Building Executive Function in Our Differently-Wired Kids

Houston, this is even harder than I thought . . .

Raising a kid with executive function challenges can sometimes feel like running mission control for a rocket whose pilot is out to lunch. One day, they’re surprising us with some amazing genius thing they’ve done; the next, they can’t remember where they left their backpack (or if they even brought it home). Homework vanishes into the void. Mornings are chaos. Let’s not even discuss mealtimes. And no matter how many planners, checklists, or “if we could just . . . ” pep talks we throw at ourselves or them, it still often feels like a moonshot to make real progress. And that goes double for those of us who are differently-wired ourselves.

If any of that sounds familiar, join me for this workshop.

We’ll dive into:

• What executive function actually is (and why it’s not just about planning and organization).

• How EF develops over time, and what’s going on when that trick that totally worked last week didn’t today.

• Why that hack that seemed to make so much sense doesn’t help my kid at all, and why we can have two kids with the same diagnosis that require totally different supports and interventions.

• The role of stress and self-compassion (for both us and our kids) in managing executive function challenges.

• How to support our children in ways that actually help, without becoming their full-time personal assistants.

This isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach or another “buy them a visual timer” workshop (though, full disclosure, I love my visual timer). Instead, we’ll unpack why executive function struggles happen and how to work with our children’s brains instead of against them. We’ll leave with practical strategies, a fresh perspective, and maybe even a little less frustration.

Because we already know our differently-wired kids aren’t lazy or broken. We know they are amazing. They just need the right support—and so do we.