Why SLPs make great Executive Function Coaches
When most people imagine seeing a speech-language pathologist (SLP), they likely picture naming flashcards and practicing the “r” sound. But SLPs have a far broader scope of practice than the name may imply. SLPs have training in a large number of areas beyond speech and language, including voice, feeding/swallowing, fluency, and social communication. One area SLPs receive specialized training in is cognitive communication which includes memory, attention, problem solving, and executive functioning.
Executive Functioning
Executive functioning refers to a set of cognitive processes that enable individuals to plan, focus attention, remember instructions, and manage multiple tasks successfully. It encompasses skills such as working memory, flexible thinking, and self-control, which are essential for goal-oriented behavior and decision-making. Effective executive functioning allows children and young adults to navigate daily challenges, organize their activities, and achieve academic and personal success.
SLP Training
Some SLPs have specialized training in the assessment and treatment of executive function skills. For example, SLPs who specialize in brain related disorders often have additional experience working on these skills as these are the same areas that are often impacted when a person experiences a brain injury. Foundational cognitive skills such as memory, attention, and processing speed and higher level cognitive processes such as reasoning, organization, and problem solving all play a role in executive functioning.
Executive Function and Language
Executive functioning skills are closely tied to language and communication. Narrative language development can provide early insights into a child’s developing executive functioning skills. To generate a cohesive narrative, a child must identify what background information a listener needs to follow the story while inhibiting extraneous information. The child must organize the sequence of events logically and incorporate perspective taking and simple inference making within their story. SLPs are good at assessing and treating narrative language abilities and identifying how these are impacted by executive function skills.
Treatment of Executive Function
When treating executive functioning, SLPs can help develop the internal dialogue needed for self=talk based strategies to assist with planning, organizing thoughts, or reflecting on decisions. Their background in treatment of verbal reasoning and problem-solving is key to tasks like analyzing situations, predicting outcomes, and deciding on next steps. SLPs can also teach strategies for sequencing and language organization, critical skills for following directions and organizing ideas.
About the Author
Brynn Schor, MS, CCC-SLP, CBIS (founder of Peninsula Specialty Speech Therapy, based in Menlo Park, California) specializes in assessment and treatment of cognitive communication deficits and executive function coaching for pediatric patients in the Bay Area and across California. Consultations provided worldwide.
