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Executive Functioning

Be On Time! Teaching Sequence and Schedules

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Be On Time! Teaching Sequence and Schedules

written by Donna Goldberg, Sandra Reif M.A., posted on Attitude Magazine

How Do I Get My Child with ADHD Be On Time?

Getting organized and learning to be on time are not innate skills. Any child — with or without ADHD — must create and maintain organizational systems that make sense to him. For children with ADHD, whose ability to organize, prioritize, and manage time is affected by neurological deficiencies, setting up and maintaining organization routines can be quite difficult.

That’s where you come in. Understanding and managing time is a huge part of being organized, so think of yourself as your child’s time management consultant. Work with her to not only master time concepts, but learn to take control of time. Make sure your child is involved when setting up routines so that she will be invested in finding what works best for her. Help your child practice her skills on a regular basis, and follow through with the systems you create together.

Continue for tips on how to help your child with ADHD master time concepts and start on the path to better organization and time management.

Teaching Sequence to Kids with ADHD

Children first learn about time by being exposed to sequence and routine: First you have a bath, then you have a story, then you go to sleep. Eventually, sequences include the concept of before and after: Before dinner you will take a bath. In kindergarten and first grade, teachers often put up a daily schedule and use words and pictures to review the sequence of the day. Reinforce these concepts at home by making sequence clear to your child by giving specific verbal cues — first, next, then, before, after — as you develop your own routines.

Ask questions as you go about your routine: What comes next? Do you remember what you did first? Reinforce sequence comprehension by giving a series of directions using verbal cues, and make it fun (“First do ten jumping jacks, then write your name backwards”) and have your child give you directions as well. Tell him that you are doing this to help him learn how to listen carefully and pick up on important words that tell us what order to do things in. Ask him to point out words that are related to time. A child who masters the concept of sequence will be better able to organize and prioritize tasks down the road.

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What ADHD Is Not

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What ADHD Is Not

written by Dr. Liz Matheis, posted on Psychology Today

It’s so easy to have opinions about children, teens, and young adults with ADHD. What we often label as laziness, poor motivation, intentional, and not being able to “just do it” is not those things at all.

In fact, our kids with ADHD have their real struggles and strengths. It is a diagnosis that is often misunderstood and mislabeled. Other adults (e.g., teachers or other parents) who don’t have a child with ADHD (or don’t have the diagnosis themselves) may seem judgmental or criticize us for not being more stringent and practicing more “tough love.” It’s so very easy to judge from the outside.

ADHD is not intentional or manipulation

Children and adolescents with ADHD are often perceived as being able to control their behavior but choosing not to. This is a misperception because hyperactivity and impulsivity happen without thinking — it’s a matter of neurological wiring as well as over- or under-activity of neurotransmitters or neurochemicals in different parts of the brain.

An adult may observe a child with ADHD who is speaking excessively, talking over others, getting up and moving fast when having a thought, asking a great number of questions, or falling off of his or her seat. These manifestations of ADHD are not happening out of a malicious or willful intent to be difficult or disruptive. Within the classroom, that child is not trying to interrupt a lesson or distract classmates.

These behaviors are manifestations of ADHD, just as low insulin is a manifestation of diabetes.

ADHD is not due to permissive or lax parenting

Sadly, parents are often blamed for their child or adolescent’s hyperactive or impulsive behaviors, limited social judgment, or academic struggles. ADHD is not due to parenting. Often, parents attempt to accommodate their child’s weaknesses by creating support in their home and school to help their son or daughter to function at their best. Parents may hear they are being “too easy” or not being “strict” enough. How many times has a parent of a child or teen with ADHD heard, “He needs more tough love”? Well, tough love isn’t going to teach the skills the child needs, but rather it’s going to cause more frustration and likely feelings of anxiety and low self-esteem.

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Book Review: Smart but Scattered

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Book Review: Smart but Scattered

Review by Deborah Tiel Millard, MA – PEC Office Manager

Does your child have difficulty finishing homework assignments, losing personal items, putting things away and following instructions? If so, your child may have challenges with Executive Function Skills. Smart but Scattered, written by Peg Dawson, EdD and Richard Guare, PhD, is a practical, easily-accessible and well-written parent’s guide to understanding and helping children ages 4-13 who have challenges with executive function skills.

The book breaks down specific executive function skills into two main areas. Those skills involving thinking (cognition) and those involving doing (behavior). Those included in cognition: working memory, planning/prioritization, organization, time management and metacognition. Those included in behavior: response inhibition,  emotional control, sustained attention, task initiation, goal-directed persistence and flexibility. Each of these skills is defined and practical examples are given which help to identify strengths and weaknesses in each of these areas.

Simple quizzes are included, as the authors encourage parents to identify their own strengths and weaknesses as well as those of their children. This helps parents to understand how their own strengths and weakness matter as they work with their child. Once these are identified, the book goes on to teach parents how to do several things: modify the environment, teach skills directly and motivate their children to learn and use these skills.

The book contains a large section on how to help a child complete daily routines. This extensive guide contains ready-made routines, adaptations for specific age groups and challenges a child may have, and checklists parents can utilize. These can be downloaded and printed out for everyday use.

The following chapters focus on each specific executive function skill and help parents understand how the skill develops, has parents rate how well their child currently displays this skill and then gives specific examples with steps for how to help their child build this skill in every day life.

The book finishes with a section that covers how to know when to seek more help and how to work with the schools to help their child with information on how to create accommodations and modifications that address these issues.

As the parent of a child with challenges in these areas, I found this book incredibly helpful. I was able to easily identify both my own as well as my child’s strengths and weaknesses in this area. I also utilize the practical examples, ideas and worksheets on a daily basis as I help my son manage these issues. I’d highly recommend this book to anyone working with children who struggle with executive function skills.

The authors have also written Smart but Scattered books directed to teens and adults. To learn more about the Smart but Scattered books, please click the button below.

 

 

 

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Which Accommodations Are Available for My Child With ADHD?

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Which Accommodations Are Available for My Child With ADHD?

written by Dr. Liz Matheis, posted on Psychology Today

Our children, teens, and young adults with ADHD often struggle to get through daily routines at home and in school even though these routines have been in place since the beginning of the school year. As parents, setting up the expectation, in our heads, that our kids are going to be able to get things done at school without accommodation can mean we are setting them (and us) up for failure and frustration.

Some may argue that we are not preparing our children for “the real world” when we accommodate our kids. However, I respectfully disagree. Our children with ADHD often need a little more time and space to gain the skills they will need for the next phase of their development. For example, we can teach our children in elementary school the skills they need as they prepare for middle school and so on. These skills we call executive functioning skills are prioritizing tasks and assignments, managing time, organizing materials and belongings, and the ability to self-regulate. All of these skills ultimately help our children, teens, and young adults with ADHD to get school and life tasks done and develop a sense of self-efficacy or a solid sense of self.

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ADHD and School

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ADHD and School

written by Jeanne Segal, Ph.D. and Melinda Smith, M.A., posted on Help Guide

School can be a challenge for students with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder—but here’s how you can help your child or teen succeed in the classroom.

Setting up your child for school success

The classroom environment can pose challenges for a child with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD or ADD). The very tasks these students find the most difficult—sitting still, listening quietly, concentrating—are the ones they are required to do all day long. Perhaps most frustrating of all is that most of these children want to be able to learn and behave like their unaffected peers. Neurological deficits, not unwillingness, keep kids with attention deficit disorder from learning in traditional ways.

As a parent, you can help your child cope with these deficits and overcome the challenges school creates. You can work with your child to implement practical strategies for learning both inside and out of the classroom and communicate with teachers about how your child learns best. With consistent support, the following strategies can help your child enjoy learning, meet educational challenges—and experience success at school and beyond.

Tips for working with teachers

Remember that your child’s teacher has a full plate: in addition to managing a group of children with distinct personalities and learning styles, they can also expect to have at least one student with ADHD. Teachers may try their best to help your child with attention deficit disorder learn effectively, but parental involvement can dramatically improve your child’s education. You have the power to optimize your child’s chances for success by supporting the steps taken in the classroom. If you can work with and support your child’s teacher, you can directly affect the experience of your child with ADHD at school.

There are a number of ways you can work with teachers to keep your child on track at school. Together you can help your child learn to find their feet in the classroom and work effectively through the challenges of the school day. As a parent, you are your child’s advocate. For your child to succeed in the classroom, it is vital that you communicate their needs to the adults at school. It is equally important for you to listen to what the teachers and other school officials have to say.

You can ensure that communication with your child’s school is constructive and productive. Try to keep in mind that your mutual purpose is finding out how to best help your child succeed in school. Whether you talk over the phone, email, or meet in person, make an effort to be calm, specific, and above all positive—a good attitude can go a long way when communicating with the school.

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To Test or Not to Test Privately?

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To Test or Not To Test Privately?

written by Dr. Liz Matheis, published on Psychology Today

You know your child is struggling academically, whether he’s not reading at the same level as the other kids in his grade or she’s struggling to write her thoughts on paper.

You’ve spoken to your child’s teacher, who is on board with you and confirms what you see and know. With that said, what’s the next step?

The natural next step is to reach out to the child study team (CST) of your school. From my experience during the last three years, there is often redirection back to the general education arena for an intervention and referral services plan (IRSP), which includes the accommodations to be implemented for 4-6 weeks.

Teachers are asked to offer more differentiated instruction and try more strategies before the child can be referred for a child study team evaluation.

Where does this leave our struggling child? Waiting. Waiting for intervention while more time in the school year passes by. During that time, the gap widens, and remediation opportunities are lost.

I speak from both personal and professional experience. This means that both you and your child are frustrated and flailing.

What’s another option? The private psycho-educational evaluation.

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Build Your Child’s Executive Functioning Skills

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Build Your Child’s Executive Functioning Skills

written by Dr. Liz Matheis, posted on Psychology Today

As parents, we want to give our children the tools they need so they can be successful. Unfortunately, when our children enter late elementary or middle school, there isn’t a class to teach them how to organize their materials and plan ahead for their assignments, projects, and tests.

When my son and daughter started middle school, they were overwhelmed with how many responsibilities their teachers now expected them to juggle. They weren’t prepared to handle the demands of each class with a different teacher, a locker, so many notebooks to carry, and the weekly array of quizzes, tests, journals, and so on. Throw in a pandemic, and the result is that many kids lost out on building these skills during a critical time.

For children and teens with ADHD, it’s OK if parents need to coach and mentor with a more hands-on approach. Many parents even continue to coach their young adult children while in college, and that’s OK. Keep in mind that each child’s journey is going to be unique. The goal is to make progress without the pressure (on you and your child) to achieve a certain goal by a specific age. That will only serve to frustrate the both of you.

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Setting A Routine for Success at School

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Setting a Routine for Success at School

written by Neetika Prabhakar, posted on PBS

We’ve all been there. Sometimes, it’s just not easy to get up and get going in the morning. For young children who are still developing the ability to cope with new situations, preparing to have a successful day at school can feel overwhelming. Yet, there are tactics parents can use to help their kids leave the house feeling healthy, confident, and energized. You can reduce your child’s anxiety and help them feel empowered for success by establishing a predictable routine. Following a schedule each day makes children feel safer and happier, which often leads to better behavior and cooperation. When they know what to expect, and what’s expected of them, kids feel more comfortable and confident about what lies ahead.

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6 Ways to Use Your Smartphone to Improve Executive Function Skills

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6 Ways to Use Your Smartphone to Improve Executive Function Skills

posted on hill center

Students with learning challenges, especially those with executive function difficulties, often struggle with organization and time management. These executive functioning skills are controlled by the part of the brain known as the frontal lobe, which is not fully mature until a person reaches around 25 years of age, and even later for people with ADHD and other learning differences. For this reason, skills like focusing, getting started on assignments, and staying organized don’t always come easily, as they must be developed and refined over time.

When it comes to school, students commonly forget or misplace assignments, folders, items, or materials. But somehow, no matter what, they always know where their phone is. So why not use this device to help improve their executive functioning skills? Below, we break down six effective strategies and ideas to take full advantage of smartphone technology and support executive function abilities.

The Alarm

Students who struggle with executive function skills are often easily distracted and unorganized. Children can set an alarm with helpful reminders for various tasks and activities. For example, students may benefit from setting an alarm once a week to clean out and organize notebooks and backpacks; that way they can more easily find and use their materials when they need them.

The Speechify App

When a student has trouble with executive function skills, maintaining focus during reading and reading comprehension can be extremely challenging. The Speechify app—created by Cliff Weitzman, an American entrepreneur with dyslexia—reads any text passage or article aloud simply by taking its photo. The Speechify app also stores these audio recordings for later listening, and they can be accessed whenever it is most convenient.

The Notes App

Organization support is key for students who struggle with executive function. Built into most smartphones, notes apps offer a variety of tools and tactics to boost organizational skills. For instance, students can use this app in the table format to outline daily tasks and objectives. They can also use this app to type or voice record their homework assignments for each class. The Notes app even allows for reminders, but students may simply benefit from the simplicity of jotting down their nightly to-do lists.

The Camera

Smartphones are all equipped with sophisticated cameras that can be extremely useful and efficient information-storing tools. Students can use their smartphone camera to snap a photo of homework assignments or lecture notes from the whiteboard. By using the camera, students instantly capture exact instructions for their viewing later on. This tactic is especially helpful if handwriting is particularly challenging or time-consuming.

Voice Recording

Many students have the will and determination to listen, but lack the executive function skillsrequired to retain the information being presented. The voice recording feature, built into all major smartphones allows students to record themselves reading notes aloud. By reciting and recording lesson notes, students can then listen to their notes over and over to improve their retention, lock the information into their long-term memory, and eliminate the need for late-night cramming.

Study Playlists

For some students, having background noise is the key to focusing as they work. Students can use their preferred music streaming service, such as Spotify or Apple Music, to build 30-, 60- and 90-minute playlists of songs for studying. As an important note, these playlists should be composed of songs they know by heart to avoid potential daydreaming or distractions. Have your child estimate how long the assignment is going to take and coordinate the workload with the appropriately lengthed playlist. This tactic has the added advantage of helping students track their time, increasing awareness of how long tasks actually take.

How Hill Learning Center Can Help

We can make a difference. Hill Learning Center is dedicated to transforming students with learning differences and attention challenges into confident, independent learners. We work closely with our family of teachers, parents, and students to promote academic success throughout our community. Contact us if you are interested in taking the next step.

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Fostering A Healthy Home Environment for a child with ADHD

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Fostering a Healthy Home Environment for a child with ADHD

posted on the frugal room

A child’s surroundings impact their ability to focus and manage ADHD symptoms. Parents can take steps to strategically organize and decorate the home to alleviate stress and reduce distractions for children with ADHD. Mindful organization does not replace therapeutic and medical treatment, but introducing structure and managing distractions can help children maintain focus and composure.

What Is ADHD?

ADHD (attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder) is a condition that affects concentration and impulse control. Based on their symptoms, children may be diagnosed as predominantly inattentive, predominantly hyperactive-impulsive, or a combination of both. Various symptoms related to concentration, time management, forgetfulness, behavior, and mood can affect children with ADHD.

Why Is It Important to Adjust Your Space with Consideration for Children with ADHD?

Decreasing distractions and creating structure makes it easier for kids to manage ADHD symptoms and focus on tasks like chores or schoolwork. In addition to maintaining a consistent routine, creating calm, distraction-free spaces through home organization and decor may reduce your child’s anxiety while boosting their focus.

"The various psycho-educational testing Dr. Liz conducted on our son gave us critical clues about where his learning strengths and weaknesses lie so that his needs could be better addressed at home and school. Moreover, because of their warm, kindhearted personalities, both Dr. Liz and her associate, Stephanie, formed an immediate bond with my son. He eagerly looks forward to his weekly therapy sessions. We are so lucky Dr. Liz came into our family's lives when she did! For stressed-out families trying to help their children as best they can, she is a calming voice of reason!"
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"The various psycho-educational testing Dr. Liz conducted on our son gave us critical clues about where his learning strengths and weaknesses lie so that his needs could be better addressed at home and school. Moreover, because of their warm, kindhearted personalities, both Dr. Liz and her associate, Stephanie, formed an immediate bond with my son. He eagerly looks forward to his weekly therapy sessions. We are so lucky Dr. Liz came into our family's lives when she did! For stressed-out families trying to help their children as best they can, she is a calming voice of reason!"
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"Thank you, Dr. Liz. Although we have told you countless times, it will never feel enough. You have listened when J could barely speak and continued to listen when he was sad, angry and confused. You've challenged him and directed us in our roles as parents. You've helped J face his fears while the list evolved and changed, and yet you've stayed committed to 'the course.' We pray that your children realize that time away from them is spent helping children learn and that vulnerability is a sign of strength and bravery."
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