Executive Function: Self-Monitoring and Impulse Control - A Neurodiverse Perspective
- Kelly Hutton
- Aug 28
- 5 min read
By Kelly Hutton
This is the latest in our executive functions series, in which we explore the role of the skills, self-monitoring and impulse control. What does this look like in everyday life, and how can we support our children to build these essential skills?
Developmental Foundations of Self-Monitoring and Impulse Control
Self-monitoring and impulse control are two key skills that support children in regulating their behaviour, emotions, and learning. Put simply, they're about noticing what you're doing in the moment, thinking ahead, and choosing how to act.
Developmentally, these skills emerge gradually, as the frontal lobes mature, typically showing marked improvements during the school years, with research demonstrating that impulse control develops in a steady progress through the early years, with a big leap around ages 9-11(Chen et al., 2021)
Impulse control means being able to pause before acting, whether that is stopping yourself from shouting out, waiting your turn, or thinking before grabbing a toy (Pulkkinen, 1996). Self-monitoring is more about checking in with yourself: "Am I on track? Do I understand what I am doing? #Do I need to adjust?" (Sagotsky, Patterson & Lepper, 1978). These processes allow children to manage attention, complete tasks and respond appropriately in social settings.
By late childhood, typically developing children demonstrate increasing accuracy in monitoring their own understanding and behaviour, especially if adults give them the right support (Thiede et al,. 2012)
Parenting and The Environment
While brain growth is important, the environment plays a vital role. Sensitive, supportive parenting fosters children's emotional regulation, self-monitoring, and confidence (Lanjekar et al., 2022). In contrast, harsh or inconsistent parenting can disrupt the development of these skills and increase the risks of anxiety or behavioural problems.
Practical strategies like setting goals and giving children chances to reflect can make a big difference. Even simple activities that encourage self-monitoring have been shown to boost both behaviour and learning (Sagotsky et al., 1978; Graham et al., 2024).
Neurodiversity and Executive Function Challenges
For many neurodivergent children, including those with ADHD, autism and Tourette syndrome, self-monitoring and impulse control can be significantly affected. Studies show that the brain systems involved in impulse control don't work the same way across different conditions, which means that challenges (and the strengths) can look very different (Mirabella, 2020). Importantly, evidence does not support a single "deficit" model; rather, inhibitory control difficulties arise from diverse neural mechanisms depending on the condition (Mirabells, 2020).
The good news is that tailored support really helps. For example, in one study found that combining self-monitoring with goal-setting reduced disruptive behaviour sin children with ADHD and gave them the skills that lasted even after the sessions ended (McKenna et al., 2023). Other research shows that, with explicit instruction, children with learning difficulties can achieve self-monitoring accuracy comparable to their peers (Thiede, et al., 2012).
Supporting and Encouraging Self-Monitoring and Impulse Control
What the research can tell us about those with neurodiversity is important for ALL children, because when we accommodate those children with additional needs, we make it accessible for everyone, a bit like having a ramp into every building. Therefore, having strategies which can be applied to everyone is really key and must combine developmental insight with flexibility, therefore adopting:
Explicit self-monitoring tools, such as checklists, journals, or digital prompts, help children to externalise reflection and track their progress with tasks.
Goal-setting with feedback, by having structured goal-setting which is developmentally appropriate - without being too hard, but challenging enough to make it a challenge, encourages children to connect behaviour with outcomes, and will improve impulse control (McKenna, et al., 2023).
Environmental supports reduce cognitive load and create predictable routines for helping children to manage memory demands, which enables stronger self-regulation (Graham et al., 2022).
Adult modelling encourages co-regulation, where the adults demonstrate the calm reflection and problem-solving skills required, providing the child with a lived example of impulse management (Lanjekar, et al., 2022).
So this may look like, for a child who struggles to finish a homework task:
Setting the goal - Finish 10 minutes of the task before checking the tablet with feedback at the end to reinforce that they stayed focused for 10 minutes
Self-monitoring tools - Use a checklist or timer to regulate the time period/tasks to complete, and undertake self-monitoring
Environmental support - Completing the tasks at the same time every day/week
Modelled by the adult, by completing tasks alongside and using the same strategies so that the child can see the strategy played out.
This process links the goal (completing the work) with clear feedback (Praise and a next-step adjustment), which reinforces impulse control and builds confidence (McKenna et al., 2023)
The ultimate goal, however, is to support ALL children through the shared strategies. Although challenges with self-monitoring and impulse control are often highlighted in neurodiverse children, the truth is that these strategies benefit all learners. Every child, whether typically developing or with additional needs, goes through periods of distraction, emotional overwhelm or difficulty managing impulses. By embedding supports such as goal-setting, self-monitoring tools, and consistent adult modelling across the board, we create learning and home environments that a
re accessible and inclusive for everyone.
When we do the same thing for ALL children, we remove the stigma, reduce barriers and ensure that no child feels "different" for needing extra help. These universal strategies provide a foundation for resilience, independence and lifelong learning.
In my 1:1 sessions, I work with families to put these approaches into practice in ways that suit their child's unique needs, whether at home or alongside school learning. Together, we can build the skills of self-monitoring and impulse control so children can feel capable, calm and confident in everyday life.
References:
Chen, H.-Y., et al. (2021). Developmental traits of impulse control behavior in school children. Children, 8(10), 922. https://doi.org/10.3390/children8100922
Graham, M., et al. (2024). The effect of self-monitoring on mental effort and problem-solving performance. Education Sciences, 14, 1167
Lanjekar, P. D., et al. (2022). The effect of parenting and the parent-child relationship on a child’s cognitive development. Cureus, 14(10), e30574
McKenna, K., et al. (2023). Self-monitoring with goal-setting: Decreasing disruptive behavior in children with ADHD. Psychology in the Schools, 60, 5167–5188
Mirabella, G. (2020). Inhibitory control and impulsive responses in neurodevelopmental disorders. Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology, 62(12), 1431–1439
Pulkkinen, L. (1996). Impulse control in children. Journal of Forensic Psychiatry, 7(2), 228–233
Sagotsky, G., Patterson, C. J., & Lepper, M. R. (1978). Training children’s self-control: A field experiment in self-monitoring and goal-setting in the classroom. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 25, 242–253
Thiede, K. W., et al. (2012). Improving self-monitoring and self-regulation: From cognitive psychology to the classroom. Learning and Instruction, 22(4), 245–252
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