2024 Events
Supporting Executive Function, On-Task, and Flexible Behavior in Students from Pre-K through High School: Unstuck and On Target
Featuring Dr. Lauren Kenworthy, Ph.D.
Executive functions are fragile, necessary, and teachable and it is vital to increase and enhance our understanding of these functions both within and outside of the autism community. Beyond the goal of understanding, this talk explores how to accommodate others using key executive functioning supports, as well as teach using references from the Unstuck curriculum and vocabulary.
What We Learned
- Executive functioning is composed of the intersection between cognitive, behavioral, and emotional regulation and is the precursor of theory of mind and social skills. Contrary, executive dysfunction is the curious dissociation between knowing and doing, leading to problems such as learning and academic skills, family stress, adaptive behavior, and mental health and is a common difficulty for those diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder.
- The topic of “Can’t” versus “Won’t” was used in this talk to distinguish certain behavioral struggles (sloppy, stubborn) from executive dysfunctions (poor self-monitoring, difficulty shifting) and discuss the idea of cognitive inflexibility. We learned the importance of flexibility, inner speech, planning, and positivity to combat difficulties such as overwhelm and disorganization that stem from executive function difficulties.
- The Unstuck curriculum considers learners of various ages, stretching from as young as four years old to twenty years old, which specific stages dedicated to certain ages and includes a special high school curriculum. The core principles are to understand, support, and teach using real world settings. Tools such as a feelings chain are utilized to improve self-regulatory behavior, and an emphasis on Plan A and Plan B support the importance of flexibility and self-regulatory scripts.