EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONS

Task Initiation

Getting started involves the ability to initiate a task without procrastination.  This skill is demonstrated when one starts directly on a task, such as doing homework or completing chores.  Getting started involves having an understanding of what is expected, the wherewithal to ask appropriate questions if there are misunderstandings, and the skills to redirect one's attention from a previous involvement.

Skillful application of task initiation is seen in children who:

• Efficiently get ready for school in the morning by gathering their books, clothing, and supplies.
• Are prepared to start on classroom assignments or tests when they are given.
• Are unlikely to waste time at the beginning of a test, chore, or other task.
• Develop strategies to begin playing or participating in a game or activity.
• Are capable of finding starting places on a puzzle or maze, finding a website and logging in, or contacting a playmate for an activity.
• Prioritize their actions in order to get started on tasks.

Unskilled use of task initiation is seen in children who:

• Procrastinate and have difficulties getting started.
• Transition poorly and have difficulty ending one activity and starting another.
• Have problems waking up in the morning.
• Are sluggish, slow to react, and unprepared to start on tasks.
• Require repeated prompting or directions in order to get started.
• Appear disinterested in tasks unless extremely interesting or pressing.

Task Initiation Games

Games and technology present a somewhat different need for getting started than do many traditional tasks in which listening to/and following directions are crucial. Many children have learned simply to "jump into" playing a video game, learning to use a DVD
player, or putting music onto their I-pods. They do, however, pay a great deal of attention to the feedback that they receive when just trying things out. They learn from their experience and tend to use trial-and-error learning to help them achieve these tasks more efficiently.

The engagement of many games and technologies facilitates a degree of creativity and problem solving, particularly when a child gets stuck. This skill can be practiced in games where one is able to start tasks once all of the necessary “items” have been collected, or by fully completing one activity before starting another. Many children appear to overcome their difficulties in thinking about alternative ways to get started when playing games, perhaps because the consequences of failure are simply to return to where they began. Perhaps the greatest contrast between traditional tasks and digital technologies is that children get started in their game play or use of technology without any need for reminders or being prodded to begin. They tend to be more self-motivated and willing to try something new even with the possibility of failure. 

Game play helps children develop better task initiation when they practice skills such as:

• Leaning how to begin a game efficiently rather than wasting time with distractions.
• Preparing oneself for dangers or difficult areas in the game, becoming more alert at these periods.
• Learning about options and skills required, such as learning how to use the different buttons on the game controller in order to be successful within the game.

Parent Tips:

Select games in which following directions and learning the basics are a requirement of success. 

Ask children to train you in getting started on playing a game with which you are unfamiliar. Ask children to explain what they need to do in order to complete one level and then move to another. 

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