Executive Function: 5 Mind-Blowing Strategies for Neurodiverse College Students

Do you or a loved one struggle with executive function skills? Here are five game-changing strategies to help you succeed in college and life.

Executive function skills development is important for all college students but critical for neurodiverse students to succeed in college. Time management and planning are common executive function skills that can cause all college students to struggle. However, if you’re a neurodivergent college student, developing these skills can be significantly harder. 

Why does knowing this fact matter? 

Rather than beating yourself up because you or your child forgot an assignment, recognize that this is not a character flaw. The neurodiverse brain is just wired differently. 

If you have autism and struggle with working memory, then forgetting a due date makes sense. Recognition of your strengths and challenges due to your neurodiverse diagnosis is a great starting point for improvement. 

Knowing that this challenge doesn’t make you or a loved one “weak” or “lazy” is empowering. These perceived “deficits” can be incredible strengths or deemed a “superpower.” 

We love this article from Psychology Today about the importance of understanding the beauty and complexity of autistic strengths: 

“Autism can be a superpower. Uddin et al. (2022) did a deep dive into the idea of autism as a superpower in their research. They describe a small subset of autistic people as ‘twice-exceptional.’ These individuals have higher cognitive functioning and special isolated skills that are far above the norm.” 

The author continues referencing the Uddin et al. (2022) study by stating that “a small but significant portion of individuals diagnosed with ASD exhibit exceptional cognitive abilities in one or more domains. These twice-exceptional individuals often have unique skills that potentially enable them to make significant contributions to the workforce, but at the same time face unique challenges during the transition to independent living because of lack of services and broad public misperceptions regarding their condition.”

As mentioned in this article, it’s also important not to minimize the struggles and challenges that individuals with autism, ADHD, or learning-based challenges go through during their lives. 

Here are some common executive function challenges faced by neurodiverse college students:

So, how do students with neurodiversity and their loved ones navigate college successfully?

For the past decade, we’ve worked with hundreds of neurodivergent individuals and their families to help them transition from high school to living an authentic and robust college experience. 

Here are five powerful strategies that we’ve found in our work that empower students to develop executive function skills, boost productivity, and thoroughly enjoy the college experience. 

5 Mind-Blowing Strategies to Improve Executive Function Skills and Boost Productivity for College Students with Neurodiversity

1) Invest in Personalized Academic & Executive Function Skills Coaching

Our highly trained academic director and coaches work closely with each student and family to determine the student’s learning goals and create a long-term study plan. 

Our Academic Director provides individualized case management and direct instruction to support students in building capacity in their academic skills, organizational abilities, and self-advocacy skills. 

When students feel seen, heard, and appreciated for their individual talents and abilities – they thrive in all areas of life. Our evidence-based four-core approach to learning has and continues to change countless lives. 

If you’re already attending school online and need remote coaching support, check out our Virtual Hall executive functioning coaching. 

2) Practice Generalization Strategies in a Structured and Supportive Environment

For individuals with autism and executive function difficulties, generalization strategies implemented in an organized and safe setting make a huge difference. 

At Mansfield Hall, our academic coaches and social and emotional support teams work one-on-one with students to learn, apply, and acquire new skills. We center each student’s individualized social and emotional learning around their goals for expanding their communication, engagement, and stress management skills. Then, we provide opportunities for students to apply these skills in daily living. 

Students work closely with their team to identify, articulate, and work toward these goals, and they benefit from the ongoing support and coaching provided by the Mansfield Hall team. Students increase individualized goals and participate in several ongoing Interpersonal Skill Development Seminars.

3) Find an Inclusive College or University Setting that Embraces Neurodiversity and Executive Function Skills Development in the Classroom

When searching for a college or university to attend, it is vital to choose an academic setting that is inclusive and accepting of all learning capabilities and provides opportunities to improve executive function skills within the classroom. 

Here are the four reasons why we chose Madison, Wisconsin; Burlington, Vermont; and Eugene, Oregon, to locate our in-person services: 

1. We want our students to experience the true college experience, so we identified cities where the campus was the heartbeat of the community. 
2. We wanted each location to be pedestrian-friendly and with a public transportation infrastructure to meet the needs of our students. 
3. We searched for college towns that provided a variety of colleges within proximity that allow for open enrollment (i.e., you can take classes before you are accepted). Thus, each location offers a large university, a private college, and a community college. 
4. Finally, we searched for towns that had a reputation for progressive ideas and open minds about innovative services for people with disabilities while providing students with a plethora of community and recreational opportunities. 

Finding the right location and fit for your specific executive function needs is essential to growth and success in college. 

4) Create an Individualized Plan and Track your Progress

We briefly mentioned above how our academic coaches and support teams work with our students to create tailored plans for their specific needs. Planning gives purpose, vision, and direction to move forward. We’ve seen remarkable outcomes when our students can measure their progress and recognize their growth. 

Getting the Right Support in College 

If you are neurodiverse or are a parent of a neurodivergent child, you have probably seen how well-supported and championed individualized education programs (IEPs) or 504 plans can dramatically improve one’s educational experience. We’re confident that you have also seen what can happen when you don’t have an effective plan or support system in place. 

Transitioning from K-12 education to college or a university setting creates new challenges. We’ve worked with hundreds of individuals and families who have felt lost after high school graduation. 

Colleges and universities must accommodate students with neurodiversity and different learning abilities. However, the process can be more challenging in some ways, and many of the parents who come to us feel lost, frustrated, and don’t know where to turn. 

This is the very reason why we do what we do. Mansfield Hall bridges the gap between high school and college to help neurodivergent students get the accommodations and individualized plans they need to succeed. 

5) Raise Awareness and Understanding around Executive Function Challenges

One of the most powerful ways to receive help in executive function skill development is by talking about it and advocating for yourself and your loved ones. 

We are passionate about empowering individuals with neurodiversity with the necessary tools to become self-advocates and create change in their sphere of influence. 

Our Coaching Model is anchored in building a community – a movement driven by empathy and empowerment. It provides students with the framework to take risks and meet new challenges. The process of increasing self-awareness, recognizing areas of growth, goal-setting, and overcoming obstacles develops both increased agency and self-determination. Self-awareness is one of the greatest skills that we can learn as adults – from managing one’s living space to effective self-advocacy on campus and in the workplace. 

Neurodivergent college students can develop executive functioning skills that will empower them for life

When given the right tools, resources, and encouragement, college students with autism, ADHD, dyslexia, and other learning challenges can be wildly successful. 

Implementing these five strategies of improving executive function continues to work for our students in discovering their full potential and enables them to embrace the college experience. 

Want to learn more about our executive functioning skills coaching and support?