The following article expands on highlights and insights from one of our Expert Series events, which are exclusive for Young Scholars and their parents.
Authored by: Sarah M. Collins, MSOT, OTR/L
Summary
Executive Functioning in Daily Life: Emotional Control, Impulsivity & Practical Strategies explores how children develop the brain-based skills needed to manage emotions, plan, and follow through on tasks. Designed for parents and homeschool families, this presentation connects the dots between emotional control, impulsivity, and executive functioning in everyday life—from toddlerhood through the teen years.
Through relatable examples and practical strategies, participants will learn how emotional control develops alongside response inhibition and how both influence learning, behavior, and relationships. The presentation highlights how movement, play, and co-regulation build these skills more effectively than correction or punishment. Parents will discover tools such as visual supports, routines, and language strategies that promote calm and focus while reducing impulsivity.
A special section introduces the role of primitive reflex retention, explaining how retained reflexes like the Moro or ATNR can impact attention, emotional regulation, and academic readiness—and how addressing these can support smoother development.
Above all, this talk provides warm encouragement: kids’ struggles with regulation are not signs of failure but opportunities for growth. When parents understand what’s happening in the brain and respond with empathy and structure, they help children build the foundation for lifelong self-control, resilience, and confidence.
Tips
1. Notice the Skill Behind the Behavior
When your child acts impulsively or melts down, pause before reacting. Ask yourself: What skill is my child missing right now? Emotional control, flexibility, and attention are all developing areas—not choices to misbehave. Shifting your lens from discipline to development changes everything.
2. Co-Regulate Before You Coach
Your calm is their anchor. When emotions run high, focus first on helping your child feel safe and connected—through deep breaths, gentle tone, or quiet presence. Once calm returns, that’s when problem-solving and reflection can happen effectively.
3. Build Routines that Support the Brain
Predictable rhythms—like morning checklists, visual schedules, and transition cues—lighten the load on working memory and support emotional control. These simple structures reduce surprises and help your child’s brain focus on learning, not managing uncertainty.
4. Strengthen the Foundations
Sometimes impulsivity and emotional struggles are tied to early movement patterns, like retained primitive reflexes. Encourage play that involves crawling, climbing, and cross-body movement—these integrate brain-body connections that support attention and regulation.
Resources
Books
- Smart but Scattered
By Peg Dawson & Richard Guare
A parent-friendly guide to understanding and improving executive skills like organization, emotional control, and planning.
https://www.smartbutscatteredkids.com - Seeds for Learning: Cultivating the Skills Children Need to Thrive in School and Life
By Tera Sumpter, M.A., CCC-SLP
Explains how executive functioning develops through language and learning, with practical strategies for home and school.
https://terasumpter.com/seeds-for-learning
Courses by HomeschoolOT
- Executive Functioning Foundations Course
Learn how executive skills develop and how to support your child through routines, environment, and connection.
https://homeschoolot.com/shop/executive-functioning-course - Executive Functioning for Teens
Designed for teens and parents to learn side-by-side—build strategies for planning, motivation, and flexible thinking.
https://homeschoolot.com/shop/executive-functioning-with-teens
Webinar & Podcast
- The OT is IN: Primitive Reflexes & Regulation
A recorded webinar and discussion about retained reflexes, emotional control, and self-regulation—available on YouTube.
Watch on YouTube – The OT is IN: Primitive Reflexes Webinar
Speaker Bio:
Sarah Collins, MSOT, OTR/L, is a licensed occupational therapist and the founder of Homeschool OT, where she helps families navigate learning, behavior, and executive functioning challenges at home. With over 16 years of experience in pediatric and home health OT—and as a homeschooling mom of three—Sarah brings both clinical expertise and practical, day-to-day insight. She specializes in executive functioning, emotional regulation, handwriting, and sensory processing, offering realistic strategies that work in real family life. Sarah is also the host of *The OT is IN* podcast, where she explores the “why” behind behavior and development. Through coaching, courses, and speaking engagements, she supports parents in building learning environments that fit their child’s unique needs. Her work focuses on helping families better understand their children and feel confident in how they support them.
Permission Statement
This article is provided as a service of the Davidson Institute for Talent Development, a 501(c)3 nonprofit dedicated to supporting profoundly gifted young people 18 and under. To learn more about the Davidson Institute’s programs, please visit www.DavidsonGifted.org.
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