Interventions to Promote Executive Skills

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Interventions to Promote Executive Skills

• Dawson and Guare Ch. 4

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• Review of Executive Skills?
• Some of the most advanced do not appear till age
  6
• However the development of these skills can
  imperfect when they develop
• Behaviors appear in an inconsistent manner
• During early stages?parents, then teachers
  frontal lobe (external to the
• child)
• Gradually children begin to fine tune these
  skills through modeling?
• the developmental progression is from
  external to internal
• Children with underdeveloped executive skills can
  be supported in 2 ways
• Intervening at the level of the
  environment?change the environment to
• adjust their limitations
• 2. Intervening at the level of the person?change
  the childrens skills by
• teaching them

to
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• Strategy 1 Intervene at the Level of the
  Environment
• Changing the physical and social environment to
  reduce problems
• Changing the nature of the tasks we expect
  children to perform
• Changing the ways cues are provided to prompt the
  child to perform
• Changing the way people interact with children

• Changing the Physical or Social
  Environment?Survey the environment
• (baseline on what to change?eliminate or add)
• Changing the Nature of the Task
• Make the task shorter
• Make the steps more explicit
• Making the task close ended
• Build in variety or choice
• Provide scoring rubrics
• Changing the Ways Cues are Provided
• Verbal prompts or reminders
  Lists
• Visual cues Audiotaped cues
• Schedules Pager system

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• Change the Way Adults Interact with Students
• Problems can be anticipated and the environment
  altered
• Steps can be taken to intervene early so that a
  small problem does
• not become bigger
• Reminders can be used to prompt children so
  they avoid the
• frustrations that accompany forgetting and to
  increase the likelihood
• that they perform successfully
• Task analyze situations (observations)?skills
  deficits and strengths

• Strategy 2 Intervene at the Level of a Person
• Goal of this strategy change childs capacity
  for using own executive skills
• By motivating her to the skills she has but is
  reluctant to employ
• Teaching her ways to develop or fine tune
  executive skills

Teaching Children Executive Skills Describe
problem behaviors Set a goal Establish a set
of steps (procedure) to meet goal Supervise the
child during the intervention Evaluate
process/make change if necessary Fade the
supervision
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Teaching Parents on the Use of Executive Skills
Provide plan, organization, and directions
Monitor performance Provide motivation and
feedback Problem solve when strategy doesnt
work Determine when task is completed

• Designing Incentive Systems
• Describe the problem behaviors and set a goal
• Decide on possible rewards and contingencies
• Write a behavior contract
• Evaluate the process and make changes

Strategy 3 Home School Collaboration Adults
must be involved and are available (to be the
frontal lobe of the children However when
parents are not available?move the homework piece
to the school and use a coach When teacher
cannot do it?inclass cuing and support (another
adult) also an older student
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• Strategy 4 Specific Executive Skills Deficits
• Response Inhibitions?think before you act,
  delay/inhibit response
• b) Working Memory?ability to hold information in
  mind while performing
• complex tasks
• c) Self Regulation of Affect?manage emotions in
  order to achieve goals
• d) Sustained Attention?maintain attention to
  situation spite distractions
• e) Task Initiation?ability to begin task without
  procrastination
• f) Time Management?estimate, allocate, and
  execute within time constraints
• Goal Directness Persistence? follow to the
  completion of the goal
• Flexibility?ability to revise plans in the face
  of obstacles?adaptability