About the Executive Functioning Institute
Bridging the gap between neuroscience research and practical coaching through rigorous, accessible education.
Training Coaches to Be the "External Frontal Lobe"
The Executive Functioning Institute occupies a critical nexus between educational therapy, clinical psychology, and organizational consulting.
As awareness of neurodiverse profiles — specifically ADHD and Autism Spectrum Disorder — expands beyond clinical diagnosis into mainstream educational and corporate contexts, the demand for specialized Executive Function coaches has grown exponentially. Yet the field remains largely unregulated, with a significant gap between the quality of available research and the rigor of practitioner training.
Our certification is predicated on the synthesis of multiple theoretical models into a single, actionable coaching framework — one that is both clinically literate and practically adept.
Core Philosophy
"Executive function deficits are rarely deficits of knowing; they are deficits of doing. The role of the coach is not merely to teach a client how to use a planner, but to act as an external scaffold — a surrogate frontal lobe — while training the client's own neural circuits to eventually assume command."
What Makes Us Different
Unlike generic life coaching programs, our curriculum rejects the notion of EF issues as "behavioral choices" or "character flaws," instead grounding all instruction in the neuroanatomy of the prefrontal cortex and the developmental trajectory of self-regulation.
Who Built This Program
EFI is currently founder-led with transparent ownership and public accountability.
Jacob Rozansky, Educator
Founder and curriculum lead for The Executive Functioning Institute. EFI's model combines open educational access with paid competency review, credential verification, and alumni pathway infrastructure.
- Role: Curriculum design, rubric governance, and standards mapping
- Contact: info@theexecutivefunctioninginstitute.com
- Transparency: EFI publishes rubric and crosswalk artifacts before purchase decisions
The Science Behind Our Curriculum
Our program combines three major executive function models into one practical coaching framework.
The Barkley Model: Inhibition as the Keystone
Dr. Russell Barkley's theory constitutes the primary pedagogical framework for understanding the mechanism of EF deficits. EF is not a suite of skills but a single, unified system of "self-regulation" — defined as any action directed at oneself to change behavior toward the future.
Response Inhibition is the foundational prerequisite for all other executive capacities. Without the ability to "pause" (inhibit the prepotent response), the brain cannot engage the four dependent functions:
Nonverbal Working Memory
The "Mind's Eye" — holding events in mind and re-visualizing them. Clients with EF deficits are "time blind" because they cannot visualize the future.
Verbal Working Memory
The "Mind's Voice" — internalized speech. How "self-talk" evolves from external instruction to internal governance.
Emotional Self-Regulation
The "Mind's Heart" — moderating emotional states to sustain goal-directed action. Emotion is not separate from cognition.
Reconstitution
The "Mind's Playground" — the capacity for analysis and synthesis, breaking down behaviors and recombining them into novel solutions.
The Extended Phenotype
Barkley's concept views EF not just as brain activity, but as a system that extends into the physical environment. This justifies the use of "prosthetic" tools (timers, planners, checklists) as essential medical-grade supports, not crutches.
The Brown Model: Six Clusters of Cognitive Management
Dr. Thomas Brown's model provides a more granular vocabulary for describing the daily manifestations of EF deficits. These functions operate like a symphony orchestra — integrated clusters, not discrete items.
This model is essential for explaining Situational Variability — why a client can focus intensely on a video game (high stimulation) but cannot sustain attention on a textbook (low stimulation). EF impairments are chemically modulated, not willful choices.
Activation
Organizing, prioritizing, and getting started on tasks
Focus
Sustaining and shifting attention to task
Effort
Regulating alertness, sustaining effort, processing speed
Emotion
Managing frustration and modulating emotions
Memory
Utilizing working memory and accessing recall
Action
Monitoring and self-regulating action
The Dawson & Guare Model: 12 Skills for Coaching
Drs. Peg Dawson and Richard Guare offer the most practical, skills-based framework for coaching. They categorize executive function into 12 distinct skills, separated into two domains: "Thinking" (Cognition) and "Doing" (Behavior).
This separation is crucial — a client may possess high-level cognitive EF (able to plan a complex project) but suffer from severe behavioral EF deficits (unable to initiate the first step).
Thinking Skills (Cognition)
Doing Skills (Behavior)
The 360 Thinking Model
Sarah Ward and Kristen Jacobsen's methodology provides concrete visual-spatial strategies for time and task management.
Done
Visualize the final outcome first: "What will it look like when I am finished?" This utilizes nonverbal working memory (visual imagery) identified by Barkley.
Do
Once the end state is visualized, identify the specific action steps required. Map the work backward from the finished product to the present moment.
Get Ready
Finally, determine what materials are needed to start. This reverses the typical impulsive approach of grabbing materials without a plan.
Our Commitment to Accessible Education
The "open source" nature of this curriculum implies a commitment to lifelong learning — constantly seeking out new research, new tools, and new perspectives.
- Curriculum built on publicly available, peer-reviewed research
- Uses free and affordable open-source tools rather than proprietary software
- Emphasizes data sovereignty and community ownership
- All reading packets use freely available PDFs and written source briefs
- Assessment tools (ESQ-R) available without proprietary licensing
- Curriculum available for independent practitioners to adapt
Cited Research Authorities
Pioneer in ADHD and executive function research. His model of executive functions as self-regulation and the concept of the "Extended Phenotype" form the theoretical backbone of the curriculum.
Developer of the Six Cluster model of executive function impairments in ADHD. His work on "situational variability" is essential for explaining why EF deficits are context-dependent.
Authors of the 12-skill executive function model and the Executive Skills Questionnaire (ESQ-R). Their practical framework is the primary tool for coaching assessment and goal-setting.
Developers of the 360 Thinking model and the "Get Ready, Do, Done" methodology. Their visual-spatial strategies for backward planning are central to Module 4.
Provides the foundational "Air Traffic Control" metaphor for executive function and publishes the activity guides used as core open-source reading material in the curriculum.
Ready to Get Started?
Explore our six-module curriculum and build coaching skills you can apply in sessions, schools, and family support.