Improving Executive Functions and Self-Regulation with the FEREA Programme
Elena Bongarzone, Silvia Conti, Laura Ferla, Emilia Liconti, Elisa Tomasoni, Gian Marco Marzocchi
The ability of personal self-regulation, articulated into emotional, behavioural, and cognitive dimensions (executive functions), represents a key factor in children’s development and adaptation to various life contexts. The FEREA Programme is a multimodal intervention based on the most recent theoretical contributions in the literature on executive functions. The aim of the programme is to promote personalized pathways for improving self-regulation, centred on the child but with strong involvement of the family, school, and social environments, in order to foster generalization of the acquired skills. This study involved 16 children (11 boys and 5 girls) aged between 8 and 12 years, who participated in a structured intervention consisting of 10–15 sessions focused on emotional, cognitive, and behavioural self-regulation. The programme included playful and creative educational activities, designed with the direct involvement of families and, where possible, teachers, educators, or other significant adults (e.g., coaches or tutors), with the aim of developing personalized self-regulation strategies applicable across various life contexts. The effectiveness of the training was assessed through the administration of the Executive Functions Questionnaire (QUFE), completed by parents and teachers before and after the intervention, and through the TeleFE remote assessment platform. Preliminary results indicate significant improvements in self-regulation areas regardless of clinical condition or age. Parents reported more noticeable improvements compared to teachers, while the assessments showed significant changes in flexibility and working memory.
Keywords
Executive functions, Self-regulation, FEREA Training, Multimodal intervention, Gamification in learning, Neurodevelopmental disorders.