Overcoming Underachievement in School: Interventions to Promote Executive Skills (Basis of Intervention)

May 2006, Manila Pavilion Hotel, Manila

Ed Link Foundation

Objectives
To understand the basis of interventions on Executive Function Skills in the home, center and the classroom.

Interventions to Promote Executive Skills

Strategy 1: Intervene at the level of the environment Strategy 2: Intervene at the level of the person

Intervene at the Level of the Environment

Changing the physical or social environment
Survey for physical or social impediments to smooth executive functioning
    What can be removed What can be added Who are the better fit teachers Quality of adult supervision

Intervene at the Level of the Environment

Changing the nature of the task
 Making the tasks: shorter, more explicit steps, close ended, build in variety/choice, providing scoring rubrics  General rule of modification: type/level of executive skill demands does not exceed the students skill that he may need help more than 25% of the time to complete the task

Intervene at the Level of the Environment

Changing the way cues are provided
     

Verbal prompts Visual cues Schedules Lists Audiotaped cues Pager systems

Intervene at the Level of the Environment

Changing the way adults interact with students
 Anticipate problems and alter environment  Intervene early - before a small problem becomes big  Reminders can be used to prompt children  Situations can be task analyzed

Intervene at the Level of the Person

Parents/teachers/therapists initially become the external frontal lobes of the brain

Intervene at the Level of the Person

Motivate skills he has but is reluctant to use Teach ways to develop or fine tune what executive skills she needs

Intervene at the Level of the Person

Teaching executive skills
 Describe the problem behavior
Be specific, describe those that can be seen or heard Complains about chores or rushes through homework making, many mistakes Not He is lazy. or bad attitude

Intervene at the Level of the Person

Teaching executive skills
 Set a goal directly related to problem behavior
 Paolo will keep his study desk clean and organized every day.

Intervene at the Level of the Person

Teaching executive skills
 Establish a procedure or a set of steps to reach the goal
 Usual recommendations: write a checklist, make a calendar

Intervene at the Level of the Person

Teaching executive skills
 Supervise the child following the procedure
Remind to begin steps Prompting child to perform tasks Observing child as each step if performed Providing feedback to improve performance Praising the child as each step if done correctly and entire task is completed

Intervene at the Level of the Person

Teaching executive skills
 Evaluate the process and make changes
Monitor to identify breakdowns that need to be addressed May need to:
 Tighten process to add cues  Further break down tasks  Let child practice problem solving

Intervene at the Level of the Person

Teaching executive skills
 Fade the supervision
Prompt child for each step but leave the vicinity between steps Get child started, ensure she finishes, move away as she performs task Cue the child to start, use the checklist to tick off as each step is completed, report when done Only prompt use your checklist.

Formula

PARTNERSHIP + COLLABORATION + OPTIMISM______ Successful Learning

Reference
Dawson P. and Guare R., (2004) Executive Skills in Children and Adolescents, A Practical Guide to Assessment and Intervention, The Guilford Press, New York, NY