Understood holds this weekly Twitter chat that aims to keep the momentum going and raise awareness of learning and attention issues. Follow along with hashtag #LDCHAT and follow users @understoodchats & @understoodorg. Experts will be available to answer your questions and concerns and share resources from Understood.org.
Welcome to today's #ldchat! This is Meg with the Understood team. We're joined today by pediatric psychologist @DrLynneKenney, chatting about helping kids to improve their executive functions. #ExecutiveFunction
A2: Executive function skills helps us succeed as healthy social beings. They direct and aid in our social-interactions, learning and behavior. #ldchat
A1: Children with executive function issues may have difficulty paying attention, organizing their materials, initiating tasks, knowing what to do in what order, refraining from distractions, remembering things they have learned and more. #ExecutiveFunction#ldchat
A1: We often think of executive function skills as those that help us plan, organize, initiate, execute and manage tasks yet current neuroscience research shows it goes deeper than that. #executivefunction#ldchat
A1: Many executive function skills are actually mediated by the cerebellum, making coordinative, beat-based alerting and calming movement central. #ExecutiveFunction#ldchat
A1: Using descriptive language is also important. “We are doing your math sheet, let’s think about our approach. What will we do first. Then what will we do next?” #ExecutiveFunction#ldchat
A1. Older kids benefit from support in academics and social activities. Focus, activation, effort, memory, action, and emotion. Peers and mentors provide the greatest support. #ldchat
A2: When we consider treatments to improve EF we need to look at what specific activities pose a child challenges, then look at the component of executive function skills that child might need more of. #ExecutiveFunction#ldchat
A2: As an example, we may observe a child has difficulty paying attention. Then we need to ask, what part of the attention cycle is causing a challenge? Alerting, selecting, attending, monitoring drift, recognizing drift, re-alerting, re-selecting etc. #ExecutiveFunction#ldchat
A2: Treatments range from computer-delivered cognitive skill build such as ACTIVATE™ and Akili to Bal-A-Vis-X, neurofeedback + direct skill coaching. The key is to look for peer-reviewed experimental studies. We are at the beginning of this science, much research ahead. #ldchat
Q2: Graphic organizers are a big help for kids with #executivefunction issues. Color-coding school supplies and other similar techniques work for a lot of kids. @UnderstoodOrg#ldchat
"Having worked with many kids like Sam, I've found that the best way to address #ExecutiveFunction issues is repeated practice of simple strategies that can meet changing needs over time." #ldchathttps://t.co/joghh6BST1
A2. Parents and teachers of older kids and ADHD tend to look for experts in #Executive Functioning, support too. Speak to multiple learning styles and preferences. Break down plans into a series of steps. Allocate time to carry out the plan Independent work is best. #LDchat
A2: Some evidence based-treatments require intensive doses, perhaps 3-4 days per week. Just like going to the gym to build a muscle, if you are going to build a brain you need lots of specific neural stimulation, repeatedly for a certain time-frame. #ExecutiveFunction#ldchat
A3: There is a lot we can do in the classroom. Step 1 learn about the range and components of executive function skills. Step 2 help the child understand how the brain works, what cognitive skills are and what steps he can take to improve them. #ExecutiveFunction#ldchat
A3. Teacher preparation is the best tool for teens with #ExecutiveFunctioning. Be willing to negotiate, rather than dictate. Make them full partners of routines. Forced actions/coerced participation unlikely to succeed. Identify potential obstacles to overcome goals. #LDchat
A3: Step 3 develop specific strategies to improve the cognitive skill. Step 4 practice the strategy. Step 5 revise the strategy based on utility #ExecutiveFunction#ldchat
A3: Helping the student understand what PART of the cognitive skill is an issue is helpful. With working memory as an example, is the challenge that the child is not attending so she doesn’t see or hear what she needs to learn or do? #ExecutiveFunction#ldchat
A3: Is the child having difficulty encoding or retrieving that material. When you know which aspect of the skill is the challenge you can work to build that skill. #ExecutiveFunction#ldchat
A3: Helping children understand what attending, staying on task, encoding, refraining from distractions and resisting one’s impulses “look like” is a great start. #ExecutiveFunction#ldchat
A3: Planning out and practicing the strategy when the child is calm is best. This helps the student to be the “best coach” for his own brain, improving recognition when he is off task, impulse or inattentive and implementing the strategy when needed. #ExecutiveFunction#ldchat
