Book Review: Smart but Scattered

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.

 

 

 

Which Accommodations Are Available for My Child With ADHD?

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.

ADHD and School

ADHD and School

Jeanne Segal, Ph.D.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.

To Test or Not to Test Privately?

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.

What Is Non-Verbal Learning Disorder?

What Is Non-Verbal Learning Disorder?

written by Caroline Miller, posted on childmind.org

When we think of learning disorders, we tend to think of kids who have a hard time learning to read. But there’s another kind of learning disorder, non-verbal learning disorder, or NLD for short. NLD affects other, “non-verbal” kinds of learning like the ability to notice patterns and learn concepts. These include visual patterns, social patterns, and concepts in language and math.

In school, kids with NLD usually have no problem memorizing facts, but they have trouble with ideas and organizing information. Kids with NLD can also be physically clumsy and awkward because they have a hard time understanding what they see and how things take up space.

Like autistic kids, kids with NLD often have trouble picking up social cues. In fact, many kids with NLD also have an autism diagnosis. Non-verbal social cues are a kind of pattern that’s hard for these kids to read.

Sometimes kids with NLD are great at the early stages of math because they’re good at memorizing. But more advanced problems get tricky because they involve noticing and applying a pattern. NLD also affects the set of skills we use to plan and organize our thinking. So kids have trouble breaking down a project into steps, knowing what skills to use for a given problem or figuring out how to organize an essay.

Lots of kids with NLD have all these issues. But some just have a few. For example, they might just struggle with planning and social cues.

Adults tend to realize something’s going on with these kids around 5thgrade. That’s when school becomes less about memorizing and more about applying concepts. For example, kids need to be able to grasp the important idea from a passage or take notes on the main ideas of what a teacher says. NLD makes those skills much harder to learn, but with the right support and strategies kids with NLD can catch up with their peers.

What is Dyslexia?

What is Dyslexia?

written by Heidi Borst, published on www.usnews.com

Children who have difficulty sounding out words, struggle to learn letter names and sounds, or become easily frustrated by reading activities may be having more problems than most students when learning to read. Those can be signs of dyslexia, one of the most common learning differences in America.

Dyslexia is a neurologically based learning disability marked by difficulties with decoding and reading comprehension. An estimated 1 in 5 Americans have dyslexia, representing as many as 90% of all people with learning disabilities, according to the Yale Center for Dyslexia and Creativity.

Rebecca Mannis, a learning specialist and founder of Ivy Prep Learning Center in New York, says dyslexia can manifest at different times depending on the specific type of dyslexia, the student’s learning profile and their school and family life.

“Children who have significant difficulty with early language development and who have trouble telling apart sounds, called a phonological deficit, represent the most common subtype of dyslexia,” Mannis wrote in an email. Dyslexia may be identified early in these children, she says, because they have difficulty learning sound-symbol relationships.

“On the other hand, a bright, verbal child who has more difficulty with reading fluency or remembering sight words that can’t be decoded or sounded out, such as the words ‘thought’ or ‘would,’ may be able to compensate in early years,” Mannis says. Cases like that may go undetected until middle school or even high school or college.

Education experts say there are many ways parents can help children with dyslexia, starting with recognizing common signs and taking action.

Helping Kids Who Struggle With Executive Function

Helping Kids Who Struggle with Executive Functions

written by Rachel Ehmke, posted on childmind.org

Executive functions are the essential self-regulating skills that we all use every day to plan, organize, make decisions, and learn from past mistakes. Kids rely on their executive functions for everything from taking a shower to packing a backpack or doing a book report.

There are many ways to help kids who struggle with executive function skills get more organized.

Does My Daughter Have ADHD?

Does My Daughter Have ADHD?

written by Dr. Liz Matheis, published in www.themighty.com/ May 9, 2021

When you think about attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), your natural tendency may be to envision a little boy who falls out of his seat at school, or who asks a ton of questions while his teacher is presenting a lesson. You may even imagine a teenage boy who is lost in his thoughts during math class and misses the lesson, and then doesn’t know how to complete his homework. But ADHD doesn’t just affect boys; it also affects girls, and it’s not always that easy to spot. In fact, it’s very easy to miss.

With girls, they tend to overcompensate for their inattentiveness, impulsivity or need for motion by verbalizing what sounds like good reasons. For example, “I didn’t take out the garbage because I was helping my sister with her math homework.” This sounds legitimate but the underlying reason is that she may have lost focus while working on her assignment or completing a task and found something that caught her attention at that moment. Girls also overcompensate by working for long hours on a task or assignment and ultimately complete it well, but the time and effort it takes to reach the endpoint is exorbitant and exhausting. She also may be chatty, speaking her mind on topics of interest. She may appear to be social and friendly, which is another way that we, as parents, may not take note. Girls with ADHD are also sensitive and can become easily upset or tearful. They can be shy and slow to warm up in social situations, and have a few friends with whom they feel comfortable or are similar to them.

Making Up for Lost Time: Social Skills Lessons for the In-Person Classroom

Making Up for Lost Time: Social Skills Lessons for the In-Person Classroom

Excerpt from: https://blog.planbook.com/social-skills-lessons/

Parents and teachers alike are concerned about the effect that a year of enforced social isolation has had on their kids. Younger children, in particular, need social interaction to learn behavioral norms and develop social skills that will help them throughout their lives.

Many teachers are ramping up their social skills lesson plans this year. Here are a few ideas for your classroom to help your kids connect emotionally and learn positive behaviors.

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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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