Strategies and supports for executive functioning challenges can make all the difference, especially for students who struggle with task initiation. This is such an important skill, since it's like the motor in allowing us to get started on all tasks and assignments. When someone is struggling to in

Kids and young adults need extensive practice in strengthening their executive functioning skills. Executive functions are the processes in our brains that help us accomplish all tasks from beginning to end. We use them when we plan our day, organize our materials, begin a chore, focus on important

Resources, tips, and materials to help you, help children with autism

I've attended a lot of meetings during my career, many of which I would have benefited from a from a more graphic version of the bell curve.

November 16, 2018

👶 Executive functioning skills begin to develop in toddler age. ❓What are some key signs of disorder? 🤔 What can you do to help?🔝Click here to find out!

Hi! This week I am pleased to share with you some revision notes for the cognitive approach. I hope that these are useful for you and that they help you with learning the key features of this appr…

Sharing our favorite Instagrams to support those of us dealing with anxiety in our daily and work lives. via studio wallflower

According to Erik Erikson, there are a series of eight psychosocial crises' that neurotypical individuals pass through from birth to late adulthood (Crain, 2011). Furthermore, each stage unfolds based on a natural scheme and one's ecological and cultural upbringing. Each stage increases in complexity and builds on earlier stages, but every stage does not require full mastery to advance to the next stage. Stages that are not completely successful are expected to reappear as problems later down th

Via Beth Dichter

Lots have A.D.H.D, Autism, Bi Polar and Depression, to name only a few, now we are not Psychiatrists, however all these things actually if turned around actually are positives, really they are. The antiques trade has always been a haven for LBGTQ persons and no one would care if you turned up with purple hair in a tutu

Have you reached your true potential? Do you interpret wants for needs? With insight on Maslow & his humanistic theory perhaps you can begin to prioritize your life and reach the highest echelon.

A dad cut his daughter's hair off after she got highlights for her birthday, so her mom sprang into action

What is Executive Functions? Executive functions, or what I like to call the conductor of the brain, is the process of the mind gathering together and making sense of all the information we receive from our instruments or senses. Helping us to create meaning from what we see, hear, touch, taste, and experience, executive functions also allows us to focus our attention, learn and think about new information, and make connections to what we already know. The Three Parts of Executive Function Executive function is not fully understood in the literature and studies continue to explore this complex skill. However, there seems to be a consensus amongst many Organizations and Institutions such as Understood as well as Harvard and Stanford Universities that executive function can be discussed as having the following component parts or mental processes that generally reside in the prefrontal cortex of the brain: 1) Working Memory Working memory is a place where our memory works to gather sensory input, hold it, process it, manipulate it and also encode and retrieve information from long-term memory. When considering Alan Baddeley's well-researched model, working memory processes information two ways. On the one hand, it uses the "visual-spatial sketch pad" to create internal visual and spatial aids to assist memory. On the other hand, it offers the "phonological loop" which is a guiding inner voice that can keep information active in one's mind. Clearly, working memory offers us an internal stage where we can make sense of the world around us. 2) Inhibitory Control Inhibitory control or response inhibition helps us manage four essential skills. First, it helps us focus on what we are learning and block distractions. Second, it manages our mind and allows us to engage in metacognition or thinking about our thinking. Third, inhibitory control enables self-regulation skills and emotional control. Fourth, inhibitory control helps us regulate our surroundings. For instance, you may choose a quiet location when doing your work or sit at a desk with the needed materials. 3) Cognitive Flexibility Cognitive Flexibility is about keeping our brains flexible and limber. It offers three skills. First, it involves switching activities and shifting focus, such as moving from one assignment to the next. Second, it revolves around the idea that different situations have different rules. Third, requires switching a point of view which enables us to consider situations from many vantage points. Cognitive flexibility helps us to make the best decisions in novel situations. Understanding Executive Functioning Problems: Many teachers and parents have trouble understanding how simple tasks such as remembering appointments, using an agenda, or turning in assignments can be difficult, but unfortunately, these and other similar tasks can be extremely challenging for some individuals. However, the good news is the primary part of the brain that manages executive function, which is called the frontal lobe, continues to develop through high school and college. Therefore, many kids that struggle with executive functions can significantly improve their abilities over time. Come Learn about the Executive Functioning Screener! CLICK HERE Also You Can View Our Executive Function Course You Might have Executive Functioning if: Here are 11 common signs of executive functioning disorder: You have trouble maintaining a planner or agenda for recording assignments. You have trouble planning long term projects and often complete them at the last minute.You often forget papers, notebooks and other materials needed for school or homework. You have a hard time estimating how long a task or project will take. You have trouble starting your homework independently. You are easily distracted. You have a hard time keeping track of your possessions and often lose important materials. You have trouble listening to and following multistep directions. You have trouble transitioning from one task to another. You have trouble keeping appointments. You have trouble keeping your bedroom and book-bag organized. Come Learn about the Executive Function Screener! CLICK HERE What are Some Common Myths and Truths? Myth: Kids with executive function weaknesses are lazy and unmotivated. Truth: Most of these kids are motivated and hard-working, but they have trouble maintaining attention and stamina. As a result, these students are often misread and misunderstood. It is important to realize that executive functioning issues are NOT the result of laziness, lack of effort, or carelessness. In fact, criticizing these learners and providing negative feedback and pressure often worsens these difficulties and can trigger feelings of helplessness. Myth: ADHD and executive function issues are the same. Truth: Attention is only one small piece of the executive function skills that the brain performs. Therefore, some kids with poor executive function skills do not have ADHD. Likewise, there are some kids with ADHD that do not struggle with other areas of executive functions such as working memory, flexible thinking, impulse control, self-monitoring, multi-step instructions, sustained attention, planning skills, prioritizing skills, completing tasks, task initiation, time management, and organization. What the research is discovering, however, is that there is a positive correlation between those with ADHD and executive functioning disorder. Myth: All kids should be able to learn executive functions.Truth: Just like some are blind or paralyzed, others have learning disabilities that make executive functions extremely difficult. In fact, some individuals have such a difficult time with executive functioning skills, they require support from technology and people (such as personal assistants or secretaries) throughout their life. Myth: Kids can't get school accommodations for executive function skills. Truth: With proper testing, many of these kids are diagnosed with a learning disability or ADHD. In addition, with a diagnosis, students can get an individualized education program (IEP) or 504 plan that can offer reasonable accommodations. How to Improve Executive Function: 1. Maintain a structured, daily routine. 2. Teach learners how to set priorities. 3. Generate a consistent homework plan. 4. Break large assignments into manageable tasks. 5. Make to-do lists. 6. Demonstrate time management skills by generating self imposed deadlines. 7. Teach study skills and test taking strategies. 8. Provide incentives and positive reinforcement. 9. Utilize graphic organizers for planning ideas and writing. 10. Teach metacognitive skills by thinking through thought processes aloud. 11. Be patient and supportive. 12. Think aloud so that you can demonstrate how to use executive functioning skills. Where Can I Get Ready Made Materials and Exercises that Help Develop These Skills? You can take my comprehensive course (CLICK HERE to learn more) or you can purchase my The Executive Function Cognitive Remedial Bundle. The bundle offers a comprehensive approach to improving a student’s planning, time management, and organization abilities. This bundle offers a discounted suite of downloadable activities, games, and handouts that were designed to help learning specialists, educational therapists, and even parents assist students in developing executive functioning skills. To get a free sampling of activities from Planning, Time Management, and Organization for Success (one of the publications in the executive functioning bundle), CLICK HERE If you would like a free copy of the images in this blog, CLICK HERE. Please note that these images are copyrighted and should not be used on your own website without prior permission. Clearly, one can improve executive functions in younger children as well as throughout life. Whether one is struggling with poor working memory, weak planning skills, trouble keeping track of materials, or breaking tasks into manageable chunks, to name a few, there are many strategies that can be learned to improve this vital skill. Cheers, Dr. Erica Warren Dr. Erica Warren is the author, illustrator, and publisher of multisensory educational materials at Good Sensory Learning. She is also the director of Learning to Learn, Learning Specialist Courses, and My Memory Mentor. Blog: https://goodsensorylearning.com/blogs/news YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/warrenerica1 Executive Function Podcast: https://goodsensorylearning.com/pages/the-personal-brain-trainer-podcast-with-dr-erica-warren Store: http://www.Goodsensorylearning.com/ Courses: http://www.learningspecialistcourses.com/ Assessments: www.mymemorymentor.com Newsletter Sign-up: https://app.convertkit.com/landing_pages/694000

Image: Creative Commons License (details and further references here) The idea of culture as an iceberg reminds us that only a smaller proportion of cultural aspects are more ‘visible’ and therefore more obvious than many other facets of culture which, while far less tangible and visible, are just as essential to our understanding of how cultures work. In fact, the sub-surface aspects shown above will directly influence those on the ‘tip’ of the iceberg. For example, religious beliefs influence holiday customs and notions of beauty influence the arts. In terms of intercultural education at an International School such as ours, the relevance of this analogy is that we need to take care to focus our learning opportunities on the less visible aspects if it is to be genuinely meaningful. That is not to say that celebrating and learning about the more obvious aspects of culture (such as the three Fs - food, flags, and festivals) is not important – far from it. However, without embracing the important stuff beneath the surface, there is a risk that learning events claiming to raise intercultural understanding do not go deep enough on their own. To quote from an article I have recently written for our Term 2 magazine: Visible and obvious cultural aspects – such as clothing, flags, food, performing and visual arts - are often essential to culture and are well worth celebrating, as happens during International Day and other school festivals. However, there are also many cultural aspects of any community which may not be so visible. We need to continually provide our students with chances to reflect on the many beliefs, values, assumptions and expectations which they and those around them hold. Similarly, we should explore various attitudes towards gender, age, social status, time, space and more. What notions of beauty, courtesy, friendship and ‘self’ do we hold? And how do these reflect our own cultural heritages? To facilitate deep reflection on these vital but less tangible aspects of culture we need to embed such opportunities across the full range of age groups and learning activities, both curricular and extra-curricular. The iceberg analogy of culture is very common. Below are some links to sites that explain the concept further and in some cases offer a related activity. An alternative version of the iceberg on a pdf file can be found here. A simplified but nicely animated version is here. Another pdf version here divides the aspects in to three parts (doing, thinking and feeling) An exercise asking you to identify where different cultural aspects might be located on the iceberg is here. A good summary of the concept as applied to a school’s planning of a Year 4 unit on understanding other cultures is here. There is a useful point on turning the iceberg upside down. This impressive cross-cultural training guide by the Peace Corps gives an iceberg activity on page 10 – click here.