Skip to main content
DeepSpectrum
Back to all modules

Module

Executive Functions

Gamified exercises targeting attention, impulse control, planning, and working memory — the core executive functions that many children with ADHD find challenging. Short, repeatable sessions build routines without overwhelming.

  • Target group

    ADHD-focused

  • Age range

    Ages 6–16

  • Sub-modules

    16

About this module

Executive functions are the mental control processes that enable goal-directed action: attention, working memory, impulse control, planning, and cognitive flexibility. They are a central area of impact in ADHD but also relevant for autistic children, particularly in flexibility and managing transitions. Theoretically, our module is grounded in established models of executive functions, such as those developed in the research of Russell Barkley and Adele Diamond. Instead of classical function training, we offer gamified, short exercise units that address individual executive abilities in isolation and gradually integrate them into more complex everyday skills.

Learning goals

  • Build sustained attention at an age- and development-appropriate level

  • Notice impulses and consciously pause before reacting

  • Break multi-step tasks into manageable sequences

  • Hold and use information in working memory deliberately

  • Switch flexibly between rules, strategies, and perspectives

Didactic approach

  1. 01

    Isolating individual executive functions before practising them in integration

  2. 02

    Short micro-sessions that match the typically shorter attention span

  3. 03

    Visual externalisation of plans, sequences, and time as an external memory aid

  4. 04

    Direct, non-judgmental feedback focused on process rather than outcome

  5. 05

    Motivation-oriented game mechanics that work without performance pressure

Sub-modules

  • Sustained Attention Tasks

    Engaging activities that gradually extend focused attention spans. Varied formats keep practice interesting while building concentration stamina.

  • Impulse Control Exercises

    Go/no-go tasks, waiting games, and stop-signal exercises that strengthen the ability to pause and think before acting.

  • Task Planning & Sequencing

    Breaking down multi-step tasks into manageable sequences. Visual planning tools help children organise actions and anticipate what comes next.

  • Working Memory Games

    Interactive exercises that train the ability to hold and manipulate information. Pattern recall, sequence building, and dual-task challenges.

  • Time Management Basics

    Visual timers, time estimation exercises, and scheduling activities that build a practical sense of how long things take.

  • Flexible Thinking Challenges

    Exercises that practise switching between rules, adapting to changes, and finding alternative solutions when the first approach doesn't work.

More modules

  • Cognitive flexibility & set-shifting

    Switching plan when the rule changes. Practising flexible switching between tasks, sorting rules and solution strategies.

  • Self-monitoring & error detection

    Noticing when an answer is off before feedback arrives. Learning to watch one’s own process during execution, not only after.

  • Goal setting & progress tracking

    Phrasing goals so they are measurable and making interim progress visible. External scaffolds rather than inner resolutions alone.

  • Prioritisation & decision-making

    What comes first, what can wait. Structuring decisions under option pressure without sliding into avoidance or overwhelm.

  • Organisation of materials & spaces

    Folders, backpacks, desks. Where material lives and why, externalised cleanly, so time and energy do not disappear into searching.

  • Initiation (starting tasks without prompting)

    The hardest part of many tasks: starting. Micro-routines that decouple the start from the need to feel motivated.

  • Emotional regulation under cognitive load

    When a task gets hard, feelings start talking back. Strategies to separate the two and not let frustration take the wheel.

  • Multi-tasking & divided attention

    When multitasking helps and when it hurts. Established findings translated into age-appropriate heuristics for school and daily life.

  • Metacognition (thinking about thinking)

    Thinking about one’s own thinking: why am I stuck right now. Tools for the inner observer perspective inside practice situations.

  • Reward delay & long-term planning strategies

    Less today, more later. Strategies for delay decisions without staging the reward as a trick.

Age range

Executive functions develop from early childhood into young adulthood and mature most noticeably between ages 6 and 16. In children with ADHD this development is often delayed and uneven. Our exercises are designed so that younger children start with simple attention and impulse control tasks, while older children and adolescents work with more complex planning, self-monitoring, and metacognition. The adaptive AI follows the child's actual developmental stage rather than chronological age.

Related modules

Interested in our modules?

We're currently in development. Join the waiting list to be among the first to try our learning tools when they're ready.

Join the waiting list