WHY CAN’T MY CHILD LEARN OR BEHAVE So many alphabet soup labels for our kids: ASD, BP, FASD, RAD, ADHD, PDD, ODD, SPD. Does they have anything in common? Yes, all are brain disorders. And as a result most children will struggle with executive functioning – a relatively new buzz board in the world of mental health. But what exactly does executive functioning mean for your child – because we all know that no two kids are the same? Here are five categories with basic questions to help you assess individual needs. 1-Initiation Can your child start a task independently? If not, what type of assistance is needed to begin? What about visual or auditory cues? Do the steps need to be restated one at a time? Does repetition help? What process allows for continued mastery until completion is achieved independently? 2-Inhibition Does your child stay on task? For how long? Who or what creates distractions? Can they be reduced or removed? What about sensory overload, especially noise? How else can the environment be adapted to help your child remain focused? 3-Organization What is required to complete the task? Can your child readily access these items? Or even find them? Are they used correctly? Which materials are essential? And which ones can be disregarded to reduce confusion? Does less actually do more for your child? 4-Working Memory Does your child get lost in the middle of a task? What about remembering multiple steps? Would following a model help? How about applying knowledge from one area to another? For tasks involving both thinking and writing, should someone serve as a scribe? 5-Transitions Is your child able to move from one task to another? Any refusal? Insistence on finishing? Should the task be broken into smaller chunks to create a feeling of accomplishment? Is the routine consistent to create predictability? Would multiple reminders help? With this new perspective, make a list of specific accommodations that could help your child. Try them at home. Evaluate and then revise. And don’t hesitate to share them with teachers at school. They just might make a world of difference. Less frustration means more success. And definitely greater self-confidence. What parent wouldn’t like that! What do you think? DCP https://facebook/pages/EACH-Child-is-Special-Working-Smarter-Not-Harder-to-Raise-Every-ONE/132153890292369 Choose a sticker or emoticon
Posted on: Thu, 16 Jan 2014 17:27:49 +0000
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