Executive Function and Literacy: Supporting Your Unique Learner at Home

As parents, we all want to unlock our children’s potential, especially when it comes to literacy. However, sometimes the tools meant to help- curriculum, planners, and routines, fall flat. If that feels familiar, you’re not alone.

To better understand why this happens, I connected with Tera Sumpter, a speech-language pathologist whose work highlights the connection between language, cognitive development, and executive functioning. Her insights explain that some children struggle with reading and writing not because they “can’t,” but because the skills that support literacy need strengthening.

From an occupational therapy perspective, I (Sarah Collins, OTR/L, of homeschoolOT ) see daily how executive functioning shows up in learning: attention, working memory, mental flexibility, and organization all play a role in how children approach literacy tasks.

In this post, you’ll get key takeaways to help you understand what’s really going on beneath the surface—and if you want to go deeper, you can listen to the full conversation with Tera on the podcast.

 

What IS Executive Function?

Tera defines executive functioning as self-cueing from the inside out—the brain’s ability to guide itself through tasks using internal language, working memory, and flexible thinking. In the Smart but Scattered model, these skills show up as things like planning, organization, emotional regulation, task initiation, and sustained attention. Together, these abilities form the “management system” of the brain that helps a child understand what to do, remember the steps, and follow through.

External tools—visual schedules, timers, color-coding, flashcards—can support this process, but they are not executive functioning themselves. They work only when a child has enough internal skills to use them. Tera likens this to the “juggler” inside the brain: if working memory can hold and process the information, then tools become powerful supports. If not, even the most beautifully organized system becomes just another unused pile on the desk.

Literacy and the Role of Executive Function

We often focus on curriculum—phonics programs, workbooks, or highly recommended approaches like Orton-Gillingham. But Tera reminds us: the curriculum is just the tool. The real foundation for learning to read (and for all academic skills) is executive function—especially working memory. This is what helps our brains “juggle” sounds, follow directions, and attach meaning to what we read and hear.

Does your child sound out “b-a-t,” but then say “mat” when putting the word together? This isn’t “laziness” or even lack of effort—it’s often a sign that their verbal working memory is still developing. Many children need extra time and support before those neural pathways are firmly wired.

Adapting for Unique Learners

Just as a craft project in a busy co-op needs multiple entry points for varying ages and abilities, so too does literacy instruction. Tera suggests:

• Start small: If your child can only “juggle” one sound, don’t rush to three-sound words just because the curriculum says so.
• Use chaining activities: These might look like building words one sound at a time (“cat” becomes “cap,” then “map,” etc.), helping children strengthen working memory at their own pace.
• Play, movement, and sensory experiences: Real-life, hands-on learning builds the underlying brain pathways (think: the “map” of the brain) essential for academic skills.

Supporting Executive Function Throughout the Day

Executive function isn’t built in a single lesson or workbook. It’s woven throughout the rhythms of home life. Tera offers simple ways to nurture these skills:

• Pre-experiencing: Before a new task, ask, “What do you see yourself doing next?” Encourage your child to mentally “time travel” and visualize steps forward.
• Re-experiencing: Afterward, reflect together: “How did that go? What would you do differently next time?”
• Reflexive questioning: Instead of directives (“Sit down! Do your math!”), use open, curious questions: “Where should your attention flashlight be right now?” or “What’s your plan for this activity?” When your child gets it right—whether hanging up a coat or solving a math problem—ask, “How did you do that?”

There Is No Timeline—Meet Your Child Where They Are

Perhaps the most encouraging takeaway: there is no one “normal” timeline for learning. Tera emphasizes, “Meet your child where they are.” Ignore the comparison game and standardized test percentiles; your child’s unique journey matters most. With your support, trust that growth will come. Sometimes on a very different schedule than the one we expected.

OT is IN #83: How Working Memory Shapes Literacy: Practical Tips to support the missing link between executive functioning and reading

We unravel what executive functioning really means (hint: it’s all about self-cueing from the inside out), explore how it underpins our ability to learn and accomplish everyday tasks, and examine its powerful connection to literacy. Tera shares her unique journey across disciplines—spanning neuroscience, psychology, occupational therapy, and more—which led her to develop innovative frameworks and a cognitive processing model now making waves in the field.

You’ll also hear practical strategies for parents and educators, including how to foster working memory at home, support literacy beyond just curriculum, and make use of game-changing tools like reflexive questioning. Whether you’re supporting a struggling learner, homeschooling, or just curious about how our brains organize information to drive success, this episode is packed with eye-opening insights and actionable takeaways.

In this episode you’ll hear about:

• Tera’s career journey: Starting in French and math, transitioning to speech language pathology.
• Tera’s quest for holistic approaches: Education in neuroscience, cognitive psychology, occupational therapy, and cognitive linguistics.
• Development of Tera’s personal cognitive processing model through interdisciplinary study.
• What is Executive Functioning?
• Tera’s definition: “Self cueing from the inside out.”
• Importance of internal versus external cues.
• The role of executive function interventions and how many are overly external.
• External Tools vs. Internal Skills
• Examples of external tools (planners, schedules, timers).
• Explanation that tools only work if internal executive function is present.
• The myth of tools being the ultimate solution (e.g., planners not solving disorganization).
• The need to support internal development rather than focusing solely on external aids.
• Executive Function and Literacy
• How executive functioning underpins literacy acquisition.
• Critical executive function skills involved in literacy
• Impact of impairments: Student disengagement, inability to absorb instruction.
• “Attention flashlight” metaphor: Directing mental energy during learning.
• Working Memory: The Literacy Bottleneck
• Types of working memory: Verbal and nonverbal.
• Verbal working memory as an initial step in phonics and reading.
• The developmental trajectory of working memory (not fully developed until mid-teens).
• Curriculum misalignments: Demanding more from working memory than a child might currently manage (e.g., CVC words).
• Identifying Executive Function Challenges in Literacy
• Signs of processing issues: Relearning phonics, stalled progress, rapid forgetting.
• Recommendations to seek professional assessment for accurate diagnosis.
• Importance of individualized approaches rather than rigidly sticking to curriculum tools.
• Practical Executive Function Activities
• Adjusting starting points to match the child’s capacity (one or two sounds, not just three-letter words).
• Mention of specific programs (e.g., LiPS program, Phoneme Sequencing Program) and their techniques.
• Supporting Working Memory Throughout the Day
• The link between working memory, planning, and life skills.
• Importance for children with anxiety: Using mental rehearsal to reduce uncertainty.
• Role of Sensory Experience in Nonverbal Working Memory
• How the brain creates internal maps through sensory experiences.
• Play as critical for wiring nonverbal working memory—why screen-based learning can be limiting.
• Discussion of the brain’s eight sensory systems (including proprioception, vestibular, and interoception).
• Integrating Multi-disciplinary Insights
• Tera’s expertise combines OT, SLP, neuroscience, psychology, and linguistics.
• Bringing together disparate concepts for parents to understand executive function holistically.

Links and Resources From Today’s Show

• Why Should I Seek Occupational Therapy?
• Connect with Sarah Collins on IG
• The Homeschool OT Teachers Pay Teachers
• Executive Functioning For Teens Course
• Gratitude Builds Flexibility For Executive Function
• Tera’s Website
• Tera’s Book & Resources
• Tera’s Online Community
• Connect With Tera On Instagram
• Connect With Tera On Facebook

Connect With Our Guest, Tera Sumpter

Tera Sumpter, M.A., CCC-SLP, is the author of the internationally best-selling book, The Seeds of Learning and founder of Seeds of Learning, LLC, a private practice in Cleveland, Ohio specializing in executive function, reading, speech, language, writing, and other pediatric learning challenges.
She leads a global online community for professionals and families focused on executive function, presents her cognitive processing model nationally and internationally, and creates practical EF resources for professionals and parents. Tera is an adjunct instructor at Ashland University, teaching executive function cohort courses, and has clinical experience as a medical speech-language pathologist in hospital and private practice settings.