1. 3 Key Strategies for Managing Executive Skill Weaknesses Intervene at the level of the environment Intervene at the level of the child by— 1. Teach the child the weak skill 2. Motivate the child to use the skill 1

2. 2 Move from external to internal: critical dimensions EXTERNALINTERNAL CHANGE CHANGE ENVIRONMENT CHILD EXTERNAL CUE SELF-CUE

3. Begin by modifying the environment What do we mean by “modify the environment?” Environmental modifications are any changes we make that are external to the child. 3

4. Strategies for modifying the environment 1. Change the physical or social environment 2. Modify the tasks we expect the student to perform 3. Change the ways adults interact with the student 4

5. Change the physical or social environment Seating arrangements Assignment of students to classrooms or teams. Classroom design (including how desks are arranged, as well as placement of work materials, homework collection bins, etc.). How the teacher navigates the classroom (standing at front of room, sitting at desk, roaming around class). Look at how things are set up at home—could they be rearranged to support weak executive skills? 5

6. Modify the tasks we expect the student to perform Presentation of brief tasks Build in frequent short breaks Allow for choice Make open-ended tasks more closed-ended or provide support to do open-ended tasks Make steps more explicit (e.g., with templates) 6

7. Change the ways adults interact with the student Label the executive skills being practiced; be explicit about why they’re important. Use prompts and reminders (ask kids how they can remember) Embed metacognitive questions into instruction Use specific praise, reinforcing the use of executive skills (Rule of thumb: 3 positives for every corrective feedback) 7

8. Thinking About Executive Skills on a Deeper Level

9. We can impose executive skill instruction and strategies on kids OR we can help students figure out how to grow their own executive skills

10. What would this look like? 1.Create a common vocabulary and a set of clear definitions. 2.Help kids see how people (both kids and adults) rely on these skills in everyday life. 3.Teach kids to assess their own executive skill strengths and weaknesses. 4.Help kids generate strategies they can use to raise the efficacy of their executive skills in situations that are important to them.

11. How to implement a child-centered intervention 1.Decide what executive skill you’re concerned about. 2.Select a recurring situation where the weakness affects behavior. 3.Gather some baseline data (ideally, objective, but if that’s not possible, create a vivid picture of the behavior in action that you can share with the child). 11

12. How to implement a child-centered intervention 4.Share with your child your data or observations. Talk about the negative impact you think it has and what positive effect you think might come from trying to change the behavior. 5.Ask for input from the child (Do you agree this is a problem? Can you think of other situations where this comes up?). 12

13. How to implement a child-centered intervention 6.Brainstorm some strategies the child might try to improve the behavior, emphasizing how the strategy should benefit the child (rather than the adult). Have some suggestions handy before you begin the conversation. 7.Have the child select a strategy to try and explain when the child will use the strategy. 13

14. How to implement a child-centered intervention 8.Just before the target situation, ask the child what the plan is. In the beginning, keep the practice sessions brief and compliment the child often. 9.Prompt during the target situation if the child doesn’t remember to use the strategy independently. 14

15. How to implement a child-centered intervention 10.Debrief afterwards. Ask child how it went before giving your own feedback. Always find something to praise and be specific! 11.Continue as long as necessary, but continue to praise progress and improvement. 12.When problems arise, troubleshoot—if one strategy stops working, have the child choose another one to try. 15

16. Application 7 year-old Amber has a terrible time controlling her impulses at school. She talks constantly, shouts out answers to questions, and interrupts others, both her classmates and the teacher. Getting through circle time in the morning is a challenge because the teacher feels she’s not in control of the meeting. This is an important part of the school day, because it’s her chance to connect with her students and to give important instructions for how the day will go. She’s created an outline for each meeting so that the class knows what needs to be covered, but she still feels like it’s disjointed, and she’s found many times that when children return to their desks, they’re not sure what they’re supposed to do next.

17. Application Executive SkillProblem Behavior Response Inhibition Interrupting Talking out without raising hand

18. Application Executive SkillProblem Behavior Response Inhibition Interrupting Talking without raising hand Goal Behavior Amber will raise her hand to speak during circle time.

19. Application Problem BehaviorGoal Behavior Interrupting Talking without raising hand Amber will raise her hand to speak during circle time. Possible Strategies Have Amber sit next to teacher to enable better control Ask Amber to leave the circle at the first interruption Give Amber tokens for raising her hand Quietly praise Amber frequently for waiting her turn or raising her hand Pass a ball or other object to the child whose turn it is to speak Give Amber 5 tickets at the beginning of circle time and remove one each time she calls out; ask her to leave group when she is out of tickets. Use a reward system—tokens can be traded in for something from a treasure chest

20. Let’s Practice Problem BehaviorGoal Behavior Interrupting Talking without raising hand Amber will raise her hand to speak during circle time. Teaching Procedure 1.Keep track for 1-2 days of how many times Amber speaks out with raising her hand. If possible, get some sense of how often others in the class speak out. 2.Share the data with Amber-”I’ve been keeping track for the last couple of days and I’ve found during circle time you didn’t raise your hand to answer questions about 10 times each day. Other kids forgot to raise their hand only 2-3 times.” 3.Talk about how you think that affects circle time. “I’m getting frustrated because I can’t explain the work and then people don’t know what to do, and other kids seem to be frustrated because they don’t get to talk as much as you do.”

21. Let’s Practice Teaching Procedure 4.Ask Amber if she thinks this might be a problem for her, too. If she’s unsure how to answer, ask how other kids might be feeling when Amber talks out. 5.Suggest that Amber may not have learned yet how to handle circle time. Ask her to watch another child (pick a role model) during circle time to see how that child behaves. 6.Talk with her after the observation. Ask her what she saw and write down her answers. 7.Ask Amber if she has any ideas how to fix the problem. If she has trouble coming up with anything, suggest some possibilities from the strategy list you already created. Ask her to pick one to try. 8.When she has chosen a strategy, suggest that they try it for a week to see how it goes. Tell her your going to be keeping track of how many times she talks out, so you’ll know whether the plan is working.

22. Let’s Practice Teaching Procedure 9.Just before circle time each day, take Amber aside and remind her of the plan. At the end of circle time, meet with Amber and share your behavior count. Use lots of praise. 10.Each day share the results from that day and compare it to previous days—and to baseline. A graph can be a powerful way to present the data. 11.If the first strategy is not successful, have her pick another one to try. 12.NOTE: If she talks out A LOT, you may want to target only the first 5 minutes of circle time and increase gradually.

23. Application Corey is a 9-year old who tolerates school okay but hates homework. He puts it off as long as he can, drags his feet even getting the materials out of his backpack, and then engages in a wide variety of avoidance behaviors (sharpening his pencil or finding “just the right pen,” suddenly getting hungry and needing a snack, and then the dog needs petting, and his younger brother is watching an interesting tv show in the next room, and that absorbs his attention). Unless Mom or Dad is sitting right there, the work won’t get done—it may not even get started. And then he zips through it without caring whether the answers are right or wrong. The tension between him and his parents can get pretty intense. And his parents keep saying to each other, “We’re not in 4 th grade anymore—why does it feel like WE have homework?!”

24. Application Executive SkillProblem Behavior Task Initiation Sustained Attention Difficulty getting started on homework Takes too long to finish homework

25. Application Executive SkillProblem Behavior Task Initiation Sustained Attention Difficulty getting started on homework Takes too long to finish homework Goal Behavior Corey will begin homework by 5 pm and finish by 7 pm (with time out for dinner)

26. Application Problem BehaviorGoal Behavior Slow getting started on homework Takes too long to finish Corey will begin homework by 5 pm and finish by 7 pm (with time out for dinner) Possible Strategies Make a homework plan right after school Cue the child in advance of the start time Schedule short breaks (ask the child how long he can go before he might need a break) Ask the child to estimate how long he things each assignment will take Allow the child time to do something fun if the homework is done by an agreed-upon time Use a timer or a stopwatch Ask the child where the best place to do homework is Use a reward system—points for starting and finishing on time and not complaining

27. Let’s Practice Problem BehaviorGoal Behavior Slow getting started on homework Takes too long to finish Corey will begin homework by 5 pm and finish by 7 pm (with time out for dinner) Teaching Procedure 1.Keep track for a week of when Corey starts his homework and how long it takes him to finish it. 2.Share the data with Corey-”I’ve been keeping track, and this week you didn’t actually start your homework until 7 and you had to rush to finish it by bedtime at 8:30. Your teacher says the work shouldn’t take more than 20 minutes. What do you think’s going on?” 3.Talk about the impact of this on both Corey and the family—”I feel like I’m always yelling at you and it feels like you never have any free time to do the fun things you like to do before bed.” 4.Ask Corey what might help to make homework go more smoothly. If he can’t come up with ideas, share a few of your own.

28. Let’s Practice Teaching Procedure 5.Ask him to help select a strategy or two to try. The best strategies include an agreed-upon cue, a way to stay engaged during homework, and a reward when the homework is done. 6.Explain how the process will work: as soon as Corey gets home from school, he’ll make a quick homework plan (what he has to do, when he’ll do each task, and where he plans on working). Then he gets to play. 7.You will cue him 10 minutes before the start time, so that he can wrap up what he’s doing. 8.When he starts his homework, he writes down the start time for the first task. He writes the stop time when he finishes. 9.He gets a 5 minute break between tasks (or every 15 minutes), until all the work is done. 10.If he’s done by 7, he gets to play video games for 30 minutes before starting to get ready for bed.

29. Response Inhibition Environmental ModificationTeaching Strategy Increase external controls Restrict access Post classroom rules and review regularly Cue the child (external to internal) Teach wait/stop Teach delayed gratification

30. Working Memory Environmental ModificationTeaching Strategy Use orthotic memory devices:  Agenda books/calendars  Notebooks (to do lists)  Electronic devices & aps (iPad, iPhone) Prompt to access past experience Generate options and have them choose (or elicit options from student) Mentally rehearse association between cue and working memory

31. Emotional Control Environmental ModificationTeaching Strategy Reduce or eliminate triggers Give child a script to follow Remove child from problem situation Teach kids to recognize situations or early signs Teach coping strategy Rehearse the strategy repeatedly until it is internalized

32. Flexibility Environmental ModificationTeaching Strategy Limit flexibility demand Reduce novelty Provide a template Put in place a default strategy Turn open-ended tasks into closed-ended tasks Make steps more explicit Increase support Think aloud Walk them through the task Give plans or rules for managing situations Teach error factor Change tolerance by gradual exposure Introduce change (lightning bolt- preferred to non-preferred) Introduce new situations

33. Sustained Attention Environmental ModificationTeaching Strategy Reduce distractions Cue to attend (look, listen, respond) Modify task length or demand (end in sight) Build in variety/choice Choose best time of day Teach self-monitoring/peer coaching Have the child identify something to look forward to

34. Task Initiation Environmental ModificationTeaching Strategy Provide cues/prompts Walk through first step—build behavioral momentum Establish set time to do non- preferred tasks Help the child make a written plan for doing the task. Have the child select cueing system

35. Planning/Prioritization Environmental ModificationTeaching Strategy Provide a plan/template Provide planning tools (calendar, agenda book, Inspiration) Walk through the planning process and gradually prompt kids to do more of the planning themselves Ask questions to get kids to prioritize (What do you need? What should you do first?)

36. Organization Environmental ModificationTeaching Strategy Create scheme, template or picture Provide organizational tools Walk them through the process. This is a long-term process, requiring that a system be put in place and monitored, initially on a daily basis. Ask students to evaluate current organizational systems and how they could be improved to meet their needs.

37. Time Management Environmental ModificationTeaching Strategy Make schedules and time limits explicit Give kids a schedule to follow and prompt each step of the way Picture schedules Clocks, alarms Smart phone aps Time timers Teach kids how to tell time and mark time Teach kids to follow schedules (daily homework plans) Teach how to estimate how long it takes to do something

38. Goal-Directed Persistence Environmental ModificationTeaching Strategy Establish goals for kids Reward kids for persistence (sticking with difficult tasks) Make sure the goal or benchmark is in sight Point out to kids how they already set goals but they may not know what they are. Define goals as something that people want to get better at or to change. Ask kids to set small, achievable goals, or a goal for something they want to do outside of school, or set class goals.

39. Metacognition Environmental ModificationTeaching Strategy Evaluate performance for the student Provide sample to match or error-monitoring checklist Embed questions that prompt metacognitive thinking Teach students to ask questions What’s my problem? What’s my plan? Am I following I my plan? How did I do?