Study Skills for Teens With Executive Function Challenges

Note-Taking Approaches for Teens

Note-taking in class can be very cognitively demanding. Listening, processing meaning, deciding what matters, and writing it down all place heavy demands on working memory and attention span. 

For teens with executive function challenges, this combination can result in notes that are incomplete or not taken at all. A well-designed system can help teens stay on task and take down the necessary information.

Reducing What Needs Writing Down

Trying to capture everything that’s said may not always be the right approach. Sometimes, writing down key phrases and words instead of full sentences can help teens keep up with the lesson without working memory overload. 

Writing down the main idea of each section and then filling in the details after class, while memory is still fresh, can split the task into more manageable steps. 

Put Structure Before Content

A blank page with no applicable framework can be a big barrier to note-taking. Using templates that pre-organize the page, such as a column for main ideas and space for supporting details, takes the focus off decision-making and toward the content. 

Assistive Technology

Voice memos, pictures of the whiteboard, and typed notes can all reduce demands enough to free up attention for content. For those teens whose learning strategies need to account for processing speed or motor struggles, these are appropriate accommodations that can lead to better outcomes as well. 

Time Management and Organizing Strategies

Time management is a common struggle for many teenagers with executive functioning difficulties. This is often because of time blindness — a genuine, neurological difficulty in being able to tell how much time has passed or how long something will take.^[2] 

Organizational skills that work for these teens tend to rely on external systems. Relying on memory alone to track homework assignments and deadlines is often asking the brain to do the thing it finds hardest.

Moving tasks onto paper or into a digital system can help. Other practical strategies for reducing cognitive overhead include: 

• Writing down assignments that are due the moment they’re given — Information held in working memory can be lost quickly unless it is written down or actively rehearsed.
• Using a single planner or app for everything — Multiple systems require cross-referencing, and things get lost. One place for everything removes that.
• Breaking larger assignments down into smaller steps with their own deadlines — This ensures the starting point is always clear.
• Setting up smartphone reminders for transitions — These can include when to start homework and when to move to another subject.
• Doing a short weekly review of what’s on the horizon —This can help a teen keep up-to-date with deadlines.
• Keeping the study space organized — An organized space means getting started is easier and there isn’t an automatic distraction.
• Estimating how long something might take, and then doubling it — Teens with executive function difficulties often underestimate time, and building in a buffer can work against running out of time.

Student productivity can really improve when the system is in charge of doing the remembering. When looking to implement any of the above or your own strategies, make sure to ask yourself: will this reduce what my brain has to hold, or add to it?