Wiki

Schools

Explainers

Executive Function

Executive function is the set of skills we all use to focus, plan ahead, resist distractions and hold information in mind. When these skills are a struggle, it shows up everywhere: following instructions, starting and finishing work, staying on task, managing frustration.

The Executive Function test screens these skills directly, through short game-like activities that students complete independently. Students see it under the friendlier name Focus.

Wiki

Schools

Explainers

Executive Function

Executive function is the set of skills we all use to focus, plan ahead, resist distractions and hold information in mind. When these skills are a struggle, it shows up everywhere: following instructions, starting and finishing work, staying on task, managing frustration.

The Executive Function test screens these skills directly, through short game-like activities that students complete independently. Students see it under the friendlier name Focus.

Wiki

Schools

Explainers

Executive Function

Executive function is the set of skills we all use to focus, plan ahead, resist distractions and hold information in mind. When these skills are a struggle, it shows up everywhere: following instructions, starting and finishing work, staying on task, managing frustration.

The Executive Function test screens these skills directly, through short game-like activities that students complete independently. Students see it under the friendlier name Focus.

What it measures

  • Sustained attention: keeping focus on a task over time

  • Inhibitory control: resisting impulsive responses

  • Cognitive flexibility: switching smoothly between tasks and rules

  • Planning: thinking a problem through step by step

  • Working memory: holding instructions and information in mind

The test also captures processing speed as context, so you can see whether a student is finding everything slow-going or is specifically struggling with executive function skills.

What you'll get back

Within 48 hours of a student finishing, you'll get:


  • An executive function profile: how the student compares with other students their age in each skill area

  • A challenges indicator: one of three outcomes, explained below

  • Practical recommendations: strategies for the classroom, for extra support, and for home

The challenges indicator

  • Executive function challenges identified: the student found several of these skill areas significantly harder than most students their age

  • No challenges identified: the student's skills are within the typical range

  • Inconclusive: something about the results means we can't give a reliable answer. You'll automatically be given the option to reset those activities so the student can have another go


A note on ADHD

Executive function difficulties are common in students with ADHD, so you might expect this to be an ADHD screener. It isn't, and that's deliberate. Talamo doesn't screen for or diagnose ADHD, and no Talamo report will ever attach that label to a student.


What we show you instead is the skills themselves: which ones this student finds hard, and what support will help. If the results raise bigger questions, they can be a useful starting point for conversations with families and specialists.

Good to know

  • Works for primary and secondary students

  • Some activities are shared between our tests. If a student has completed another Talamo test in the last 3 months, they won't repeat the shared activities


Ready to try it? Head to How to assign a test.

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