School-Based Executive Function Guideline (SB-EFG): A Practice Guideline for Executive Function Assessment and Intervention in School-Based Practice

Executive functioning (EF) is comprised of various cognitive skills, such as working memory, inhibitory control, and cognitive flexibility, which monitor and guide goal-directed behavior and set a foundation on which healthy development may occur. Although the impact of EF skills on school participation has increasingly been recognized over the years, there are limited occupational therapy models that help occupational therapists integrate EF intervention into school-based practice. Children with limitations in EF have unique needs and challenges that impact school participation; therefore, it is imperative that occupational therapists address EF in school-based practice. This author- developed practice guideline discusses essential elements of assessment and intervention that school-based occupational therapists should consider when working with students with EF limitations. The essential elements are displayed as a conceptual model that provides a comprehensive understanding of how to use and apply evidence-based EF strategies to enhance student school performance. The goal of this model is to also guide school-based therapists on how to widen their practice lens and develop clinical capacity to address EF skills that will, in turn, enhance student school participation.