Many individuals with social learning differences and/or challenges have hurdles and speedbumps when it comes to developing the organizational skills needed to manage increasingly complex demands in upper elementary, middle, high school, and beyond. Our organizational abilities emerge from executive functions that develop with minimal instruction. In this two-part series, we explore key executive functioning skills and practical strategies to help individuals track and tackle homework and other deadline-based responsibilities.

In this first course of this two-part series, we start by asking educators and parents to think about their own lives and how they actually get things done, even though there are endless moving parts. We then explore how those with neurologically based differences in executive functions often run into roadblocks that may overwhelm their emotional self-regulation system. In Part 1 we explore concepts including, but not limited to:

• Examining top-down versus bottom-up thinking impacts organizational abilities
• Exploring the importance of using one’s imagination
• Defining the developmental nature of executive functions
• Exploring the scope and sequence of organizational tasks: differentiating static organizational from dynamic organizational skills
• Defining executive functions and complementary supports for teaching
• Identifying what needs to be done
• Uncovering the power of metacognitive thinking and strategies
• Examining how future planning is one key to goal-oriented thinking
• Using four key elements for knowing and planning what needs to be done

In Part 2, we cover nine other steps toward helping students learn to increase their organizational competencies beginning with the exploration of student motivation: how to encourage its formation and why managing time and priorities across a variety of homework assignments can feel overwhelming—even for those who are considered “gifted.” Please see the Executive Functions – Part 2 description to learn more.

This course has been enthusiastically received by interventionists (parents, counselors, mainstream and special education teachers, administrators, psychologists, speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists, and others). As with most of our courses, hands-on activities help attendees relate their own experiences to the content.

While this course was designed to support individuals with social learning differences and/or challenges, the information provided is relevant for everyone.

Who Should Attend

Components of the Social Thinking Methodology are used by a wide variety of professionals; including speech-language pathologists, special and general education teachers, social workers, counselors, clinical and school psychologists, occupational therapists, behavior specialists, and school administrators, to name a few. Both family members and caregivers find the information relevant.

In this two-part series, we explore key executive functioning skills and practical strategies to help individuals track and tackle homework and other deadline-based responsibilities.

In Part 1: Fostering the Development of Executive Functions: How Do Students Get Things Done? we start by asking educators and parents to think about their own lives and how they actually get things done, even though there are endless moving parts. We then explore how those with neurologically based differences in executive functions often run into roadblocks that may overwhelm their emotional self-regulation

In Part 2: Strategies to Foster Motivation and Tackling Many Moving Parts of Any Assignment we cover nine other steps toward helping students learn to increase their organizational competencies beginning with the exploration of student motivation: how to encourage its formation and why managing time and priorities across a variety of homework assignments can feel overwhelming—even for those considered “gifted.”

Objectives

Participants will be able to:

1. Explain why students can’t just go “do their homework” when they struggle with executive functions.
2. Describe three ways static organizational tasks are vastly different from dynamic organizational tasks.
3. List the Four Steps of Executive Functions to help students learn where to begin the process of getting organized.
4. Explain how counterfactual reasoning incorporates individuals' imagination of the future and leads them to problem solve their choices.

Agenda

• 1 hour and 20 minutes
  • Exploring the power of organized thinking. What does it take to get ready in the morning? What’s the difference between static and dynamic organizational skills from an academic perspective? How do highly structured environments differ from those with less structure? How does this structure impact getting things done?
• 1 hour and 40 minutes
  • What are executive functions? Exploring a range of steps within organized thinking, such as figuring out what needs to be done, defining the difference between goals and action plans, and creating and using strategies to assist with getting things done.
• 30 minutes Previously recorded Q & A session

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We are proud to provide access to continuing education credit for:

• Speech-Language Pathologists
• Educators
• ...and others!

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