Written by Dr Sarah Glencross, Research Manager, The Sycamore School Queensland and Adjunct Lecturer, University of the Sunshine Coast & Chantall Opperman, Head of Teaching and Learning, The Sycamore School, Queensland
The Sycamore School is a specialist P–10 school for autistic young people located in Redland Bay near Brisbane. Our approach is strengths-based and co-designed with young people and families. In this blog post, we share strategies from our workshop From Cognitive Science to the Classroom: Practical Strategies to Support Neurodivergent Learners. These strategies are informed by cognitive science but shaped by what works for our young people in our classrooms. These strategies have been developed and refined in collaboration with autistic young people and have demonstrated clear benefits for their engagement, confidence and learning.
It is easy as a school leader to get caught up in thoughts of “I must get this done now”. Yet if we give ourselves permission to stop, and think, we achieve clarity and purpose. New ideas, and solutions come more easily because we are in a relaxed state of mind. This is often easier said than done.
Why Executive Function Matters More Than Most People Think
Executive Function refers to a set of cognitive processes that help us plan, focus, remember instructions and manage multiple tasks successfully. It is a developmental capacity located in the prefrontal cortex and continues to mature into a person’s mid-20s.
Executive function is sometimes misunderstood. Many assume that if a young person “knows” what to do, they can simply do it. From our work at The Sycamore School, and from decades of cognitive science research, we know this is untrue. Executive function is context dependent, heavily shaped by stress, sensory load, predictability, relational safety and task complexity. A young person may demonstrate strong executive function in one context (for example, Minecraft or art), and struggle significantly in another.
What Cognitive Science Tells Us About Executive Function
One of the most widely used models of executive function describes three core components: inhibition, working memory and cognitive shifting (Miyake et al., 2000). These skills work together to help people manage attention, organise ideas and navigate learning demands. Inhibition supports a young person to filter distractions or pause before acting, working memory allows them to hold information in mind long enough to use it and shifting enables them to move between tasks, ideas or perspectives.
In classrooms, these processes underpin everything from following a multi-step instruction to coping with unexpected changes. At The Sycamore School, understanding these components helps us identify which part of the process is overloaded for a young person, so we can design supports that reduce cognitive strain and make learning feel more achievable.
Bringing Cognitive Science Back to Everyday Experience
To make sense of executive function, we often start with universal experiences:
- Walking into a room and forgetting why.
- Putting something in a “safe place” and losing it.
- Falling down a social media rabbit hole.
- Leaving an important job to the last minute.
These examples help adults recognise that executive function challenges are human, not a sign of laziness or lack of effort. For autistic young people, whose executive function is influenced by sensory differences, anxiety and uncertainty, these everyday challenges can become significantly magnified.
Executive Function and Autism: What Our Young People Teach Us
One of our most important insights at The Sycamore School is that young people’s executive function performance improves dramatically when they feel safe, prepared and understood. This is why our school culture emphasises predictability, co-designed routines, sensory-considerate classrooms and proactive regulation.
Our autistic young people regularly teach us that:
- Executive function challenges do not reflect motivation.
- Executive function capacity fluctuates throughout the day.
- Executive function improves when tasks are broken down and visually clear.
- Executive function collapses when sensory load increases.
Evidence-Informed Classroom Strategies
Visual Supports
Visuals can reduce cognitive load by taking some of the “remembering” out of tasks. Many teachers already use visual schedules, but even small additions like colour-coding materials, providing a visual model of a finished product, or using simple icons to show task steps, can make learning more predictable and less stressful. These supports anchor young people when attention fluctuates and help them reorient themselves without needing constant verbal instruction.
Checklists
A short, well-designed checklist can give young people a clear path through a task. Three or four steps are usually enough. Some young people prefer tick-boxes; others like a visual version or a laminated copy they can personalise with whiteboard markers. Checklists work best when they are co-created with young people, so the language feels familiar and achievable. They’re also helpful for transitions: packing up, starting writing or preparing for group work.
Predictable Routines
Predictability frees up executive function. When young people know what to expect (for example, how a lesson starts, how materials are organised, what happens when they need help) they spend less energy trying to work out the “rules” and more energy learning. Predictable routines don’t have to feel rigid, they can be flexible, co-designed and responsive to the group. Even a simple “warm-up, learning focus, task, reflection” sequence can help young people settle quickly.
Task Scaffolding
Scaffolding breaks larger tasks into smaller, manageable chunks. This might include sentence starters, partially completed examples, graphic organisers or step-by-step task cards. Scaffolding isn’t about simplifying the thinking, it’s about reducing unnecessary load so young people can focus on the core learning.
Breaks and Timers
Short, intentional breaks help young people regulate and reset. Timers can provide structure, but they are most effective when used collaboratively rather than as a countdown or pressure cue. Some young people prefer visual timers; others like a “time window”, such as five to seven minutes, rather than a fixed end point. Movement breaks, sensory resets or a quick breathing strategy can all support sustained engagement.
Self-Monitoring Tools
Self-monitoring creates independence by helping young people notice what they need. Tools might include “check-in” cards, emotion thermometers, on-track/not-yet prompts, or a quick three-step self-review at the end of a lesson. These tools build young people’s capacity to reflect, adjust and plan without relying entirely on adults. Many of the tools used at The Sycamore School were co-designed with young people to make the language meaningful for them.
Communication Supports
Clear, predictable communication helps reduce ambiguity, a key barrier to executive function. This can include using consistent phrases (“step one… step two”), pairing verbal instructions with visuals or offering choices in a structured way. Pre-teaching key vocabulary or modelling a task aloud gives young peoples a mental script they can return to. Communication supports ensure expectations are visible, not hidden.
Why This Matters
When teachers understand executive function, behaviour stops looking like resistance and starts being understood as a capacity issue shaped by context. This shift has been transformative at The Sycamore School. We invite readers to try selecting one executive function support and using it consistently for two weeks. Pay attention to what changes, then co-design the next step with your students.
Final Thoughts
Executive function is not just a cognitive skill, it is a relational, contextual and developmental process. When schools understand this, they can design environments where neurodivergent learners thrive. At The Sycamore School, our autistic young people continually show us what is possible when executive function supports are embedded intentionally, respectfully and creatively.
For more information about our executive functioning strategies and the professional learning workshops we offer, please contact research@sycamore.qld.edu.au
Reference
Miyake, A., Friedman, N. P., Emerson, M. J., Witzki, A. H., Howerter, A., & Wager, T. D. (2000). The unity and diversity of executive functions and their contributions to complex “frontal lobe” tasks: A latent variable analysis. Cognitive psychology, 41(1), 49-100. https://doi.org/10.1006/cogp.1999.0734
Sarah is speaking at the Brisbane Diverse Learners Symposium on ‘From Cognitive Science to the Classroom: Practical Strategies to Support Neurodivergent Learners‘. View the Full Conference Program Here.