Executive Functioning- the Struggle Is Real

Confucius said that a journey of 1000 miles begins with one step.  That is all well and good, but for someone who struggles with Executive Functioning, even that first step can seem like a thousand miles. The technical definition of Executive Functioning (EF) is, "the cognitive processes that help us regulate, control and manage our thoughts and actions." It includes planning, working memory, attention, problem solving, verbal reasoning, cognitive flexibility, initiation of actions and monitoring of actions. A person with excellent EF skills will not have problems creating a plan, organizing, sticking to it and shifting gears, if necessary. Those who lack EF skills will certainly have trouble when they enter school especially when they get older and need to become more independent. Projects can seem overwhelming. There is so much work to be done, and yet, they don't seem to know where to begin. Once they do begin, they can struggle to keep on task, stay organized and be able to adjust and change directions. The struggle for them is real.

Even the brightest of kids can struggle with this because it is no way connected to ability or intellect. It is not an innate ability. It must be taught and developed. Even at a very young age (as early as toddler years), children can be taught the necessary skills to have excellent EF skills later in life.  Games as simple as peek-a-boo and hide and go seek use working memory, attention span, and concentration. These are your building blocks. They teach focus and problem solving.  As the child grows older, they will benefit from participating in sports, doing chores, playing strategy games and playing a musical instrument.

Because it is a learned and acquired skill, students who struggle with EF skills can get on track with strategies that make sense to them.  The caveat is that it is not a one size fits all approach. From my years in education, I know that kids learn differently, and what works for one won't work for all. My advice is to first figure out what kind of learning style the student has.  Is he or she a visual learner? Auditory learner? Kinesthetic learner?  All of these influences can affect which strategy you employ.  

For visual learners, I am a huge proponent of project boards, sticky notes, and paper or electronic calendars.  The more color coding the better.   For visual students, I recommend color coordinating their books, notebooks, and folders. Visually, they will be able to grab what they need based on subject. I, personally, am a visual learner.  I have a huge whiteboard with sticky notes and different colored markers for different projects I am working on.  This is how I operate and organize.  It makes sense in my brain.

Auditory learners organize things quite differently.  Those kids benefit from setting alarms on phones or timers to keep them on track. Noise reduction headphones or conversely, music can help tune distractions out that will cause concentration issues. It can also be helpful to leave voice reminders for themselves on their phones.  You will often hear these kiddos talking to themselves to remind them of the steps needed to do a task.  My son did this while learning to drive.  He gave himself directions on how to parallel park. It was funny and slightly disconcerting at the same time.

The kinesthetic learner will benefit from scratching things off their lists.  This gives them a sense of accomplishment and keeps them on track.  They can also benefit from moving around while doing a task. Pacing is a normal thing while working on a project or studying. It keeps them focused. Another thing I have found that helps an active kid stay on task is an organization app.  Habitica is an app that works like a video game awarding kids with gold coins for completing a task.  For every task they complete, they check it off their list and earn rewards. They can also compete against their friends to earn points. Wunderlist is another app that allows kids to compete against their friends to check things off their to do lists.  It is a great way to motivate kids that need some movement.  These apps will also help students who are social learners and like to work with others to accomplish a goal.

These are just some of the strategies that I use while working with students with Executive Functioning deficits.  The good news is that these are skills that can be developed at any time so they do not have to struggle. Look for future posts regarding specific ways to engage students based on learning styles.

Blog post by Amy Darpel, former teacher and educational consultant, Director of ExploreMore Enrichment
Program.

We are proud to be participating in this month's Blog Hop on Hoagie's Gifted Page.

Acceleration- Skipping to Succeed

The age old question in education is what to do with our over-achieving children who become bored in class.  Are they the child that is disruptive because they have finished their work early? Are they the daydreamers or the absent-minded professors?  What can you do for them? There has been a constant stream of contradictory research as to what is best for these absorbers of knowledge. Our gifted journey started off as most do, a quest for knowledge.  We saw issues regarding our son and the school recommended testing.  What I had prepared for was a diagnosis of dysgraphia or sensory integration disorder. My background was teaching and I knew I could handle those diagnoses. Those diagnoses were confirmed but what I didn't anticipate was a diagnosis of profoundly gifted.  I felt like the wind was knocked out of me.  My first instinct was to question the results.  After all, this is a kid who makes armpit noises.  But as I listened to the psychologist, I began to wrap my head around the results.  Most people would be happy to hear that their child is gifted but knowing how school systems can fail these kids, I had a lot of anxiety of what could potentially happen. Would he do well in school? Sure.  Would he test well? Absolutely.  But would he succeed? Would he ever understand what it meant to work hard? Face adversity? Learn from mistakes? I knew I had to advocate for him and put him in a place where he could thrive but also learn the importance of hard work. We tried homeschooling but I couldn't keep up with his thirst for knowledge.  I knew I needed to find something more for him.  After reading A Nation Deceived, I quickly realized what the solution was.  I needed to find a school that would allow for his acceleration.  He needed to be with kids who love to learn. He needed to be with kids who were like him and would appreciate his intellect. Luckily, we have a local school whose hallmark is acceleration.  Students at this school can accelerate one to two years starting in the 7th grade. We jumped at the opportunity to see if this was the answer we were looking for.  Research is great but does it work in the real world?

I remember on the day that he shadowed, he came bouncing out saying that he had found his people. What an amazing feeling to see your once unhappy, hated-to-go-to-school kid want to be in a place where he felt he belonged.  This sense of belonging is something I have heard from many a parent who made the leap with their child.  It makes you wonder, how many kids are like my son? How many could benefit from acceleration? Why don't we, as educators and parents, advocate for this? My son completed 8th-12th grade at Covington Latin School and he blossomed from a quiet, shy, awkward kid to one that participated in a ton of activities, played in a rock band, and traveled abroad. No one can believe the transformation he made in those 5 years.  What confidence he gained from being with like minded students who he fed off their intelligence.  He no longer had to hide who he was, what he was.  He was able to flourish.  He was challenged.  He definitely learned how to study. He definitely learned how to overcome adversity and ask for help.  He is now a college freshman and finds it to be a piece of cake because he learned the skills necessary to be successful. Was accelerating worth it? Absolutely!

Blog contribution from a former parent of Covington Latin School. 

For more information on acceleration and other topics regarding gifted education, go to Hoagie's Education Page.