Parenting Matters Conference Keynote

Executive Function Challenges: Turning “I Can’t” Into “I Can"

Kristin Knapp-Ines, PhD

Kristin-Knapp-Ines, PhD is a clinical psychologist and board certified behavior analyst at Bradley Hospital.

Dr. Knapp-Ines received her PhD in clinical psychology from University of Tübingen in Germany. She specializes in working with families and neurodiverse youth who experience behavioral and emotional challenges, including those with developmental disabilities and autism spectrum disorder. Her research interests focus on executive function, attention deficit, coping skills, and parenting strategies for managing challenging behavior. In her previous roles, Dr. Knapp-Ines directed a research-driven parent education and behavior intervention program; consulted with group, residential and foster homes; taught graduate level classes in applied behavior analysis; and provided assessment and intervention supervision to doctoral-level psychology students. Currently, she works at the Verrecchia Outpatient Clinic at Bradley Hospital providing individual, family, and group therapy. She is involved in supervising psychology and medical residents and consults with Bradley's inpatient children's unit and several school districts across Rhode Island.

About the Presentation

Executive functions are brain-based skills that help children plan, organize, manage emotions, remember instructions, and follow through on tasks. These skills develop gradually over childhood and adolescence and play a critical role in learning, behavior, and independence. When executive functions are underdeveloped, children may struggle with homework completion, transitions, emotional regulation, time management, or daily routines, even when they are bright and motivated.

This presentation is designed for participants who want to better understand what executive functions are, their biological basis in brain development, and why some children experience greater challenges in this area. We will explore various types of executive function, including emotion regulation, inhibition, cognitive flexibility, planning, and self-monitoring and how difficulties in each area can show up in daily life.

Participants will also learn practical, evidence-based strategies to support executive function development. The session will focus on how to structure the environment to reduce cognitive load, increase predictability, and set children up for success, as well as how to explicitly teach and strengthen specific executive skills the child may be struggling with.

Learning Objectives

The learning objectives of this presentation include:

1. Describing what executive functions are, their biological basis in brain development, and how they impact learning and behavior
2. Identifying different types of executive functions and recognizing how challenges in these areas may appear in a child’s daily life
3. Appling practical strategies to structure the environment and to directly support the development of specific executive function skills

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