Essentials Magazine Essentials Fall 2018 - Page 10

Designing
Educational
Spaces
That Support
Executive
Function
BY DR. NANCY SULLA
I
magine you enter your home, fling open the door,
and the door knob punches a hole in your wall. You
decide to fix it yourself. All you have to do is
“Google” it. You locate a how-to sheet with step-by-
step directions for spackling a wall; you find a video of
someone demonstrating the process. Easy, right? Not
so fast. Suppose you did not possess the skills of focus,
following multiple steps, shifting focus from one event
to another, catching and correcting errors, attending to
an activity, and persisting in a task? Even the best how-
to sheet or video would not yield success. Those are
just some of the skills of executive function, managed
by a part of your brain just behind your forehead.