ABSTRACT
Initiation is beginning a job or activity–especially important for non-preferred tasks or things we would rather not do. Good task initiation would be starting a job when it needs to be done with the right tools to complete it. Many children with poor task initiation skills also have a very poor concept of time. They always seem to think that they have more time than is available. Deficient executive functioning skills are often only one component of poor initiation skills, and as with everything else, there are other contributing factors related to temperament, physical condition, environment, and the nature of the task itself. The development of initiative in young children is quite variable. From our own observations of children, we can see that some children are fiercely independent by nature and want to do everything for themselves. A child’s unwillingness to initiate tasks in the home is always one of parents’ biggest complaints.
