Bridging the Gap: A Stress-Free Introduction to Executive Function

Heather Houmis is College Solutions’ resident Executive Function coach and the author of our new blog series, Bridging the Gap. A Certified Executive Function Coach with more than 20 years of experience in education, Heather has helped students with many different learning styles build the skills they need to succeed. In this series, she shares practical strategies and insights to help families better understand executive function and bridge the gap between knowing what to do and actually doing it.

Welcome to the Cockpit!

Have you ever felt like you are living in a high-stakes video game, but the pieces are all moving at warp speed, the directions are in a different language, and the batteries just died on your controller?

Welcome to the club.

Ever wonder why your incredibly gifted child can explain the history of chess, but cannot remember to put on shoes before heading out the door for school in the morning? You may think you are dealing with an act of laziness or defiance, but it's not likely. You are most likely looking at Executive Function in action, or should we say, in-action.

You are not alone.

This is one of the most common (and frustrating) experiences for families. Most of the time, it is not about intelligence, motivation, or even effort. Instead, it is about executive function.

Many experts in Executive Function compare it to an air traffic control system in the brain. These skills help monitor, plan, manage information, limit distractions, and handle changes with minimal disruption.

What is Executive Function Anyway?

Executive function skills help us with:

Planning
Organizing
Time Management
Task Initiation
Staying Focused
Emotional Regulation
Setting and achieving Goals

👉What does all that mean? Executive Function skills are the skills that help us accomplish tasks.

Understanding How the Gaps Happen

Remember those air traffic controllers in your brain? Think of the crew in the tower that helps manage the takeoffs and landings of thoughts, emotions, and tasks.

When the people in the tower are on their “A game,” our kids can:

Make plans
Accomplish tasks
Remember where they put their math homework
Regulate their emotions when something does not go as planned

For many of us and our kiddos, our control towers are a bit understaffed. Planes circle because there aren't enough people to help them land, the radio is staticky, and the coffee machine is broken again! The gap between knowing what to do and actually doing it is what we are here to bridge.

How can I help you and your family?

My work as an executive function coach centers on empowering students and families to bridge the gap between knowing what to do and actually doing it. Through supportive, personalized coaching, we focus on building the tools, systems, and confidence students need to move forward with greater independence and success. The goal isn’t perfection—it’s helping each student develop the tools they need to move forward successfully in a way that works for them.

Bridging the Gap Together

This blog is not meant to be a lecture hall. Instead, it is meant to be a community. A community created to support and help each other with strategies & ideas. It is my hope that, together, we’ll find the humor in the forgotten field hockey bags, study guides, and missed appointments, while empowering you with the tools to make life run a little smoother.

So what does “Bridging The Gap” really mean?

It’s the space between: