January, 2023:
This blog is being written and monitored by Dr. Sharon Kochlany (one of the LCWA board members) who is an expert in cognitive training and executive function. She is an executive function coach and a Play Attention Certified Provider. Each week, she will share another tip to improve your cognitive skills. The brain at any age can improve. Research is now showing that many adults have ADHD. These adults went throughout school without ever being diagnosed. Many of these blogs will revolve around Adult and child ADHD as many of us have grandchildren or children with ADHD as well. Those who have ADHD have weaknesses in executive function and therefore this will be another area of brain processing that will be covered.
Come back each month to become more aware of what you can do so that you can ward off mental decline. I am going to separate these discussions each month as they are getting a little tedious to read in one blog discussion. Feel free to contribute to the blog as well. Writing can help executive function. Post your questions as well.
Month of January, 2023 - Blog #1 in the Brain Series
Let's begin with understanding what cognitive skills are and how they relate to executive function. Keep in mind that these things can be improved and future blog episodes will explain how to do this.
Simply put, "Cognitive skills are the core skills your brain uses to think, read, learn, remember, reason, and pay attention. Working together, they take incoming information and move it into the bank of knowledge you use every day at school, at work, and in life." (https://www.mindmattersjo.com/what-are-cognitive-skills.html)
Here are the major cognitive skills we use daily:
Executive function is the control center of the brain. It consists of the cognitive skills listed above "... that include working memory, flexible thinking, and self-control. We use these skills every day to learn, work, and manage daily life. Trouble with executive function can make it hard to focus, follow directions, and handle emotions, among other things." (https://www.understood.org/en/articles/what-is-executive-function)
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