ld/adhd initiative executive functions modules

LD/ADHD Initiative Executive Functions Modules

Session Four Strategy Sheets

Secondary

Executive Functions Session 4 Strategy Sheet Secondary

How Do I Develop Self-Monitoring Skills?Definition: Self-Monitoring

• Checks work, keeps track of own behavior and learning• Finishes a task to ensure attainment of goal• Understands consequence of his/her actions and

learning• Puts the “brakes” on one’s own behavior and thinking

Impact: Self-Monitoring• Tends to act without sufficient forethought• Interrupts with own thoughts and comments• Works quickly and oftentimes is messy• Does not listen to others• Has difficulty following directions and does not do

assigned tasks carefully

What might this look like in your home? LD/ADHD InitiativeDepartment of Special Education and Student Services, HCPSS


How Do I Develop Self-Monitoring Skills?Environmental Supports• Provide time to set goals. Goals should be set for

accuracy rather than speed• Model learning behaviors• Prepare your child for changes in the schedule or

agenda• Provide time for gathering of materials before

beginning key directions or instructions• Encourage peer/sibling support in monitoring

academic work or learning behaviors• Monitor when your child moves to start the next

activity, and tell how long they have to transition• Ask your child to check visually posted

agenda/directions/schedules• Assign your child a peer/sibling model and cue

him/her to check in with his/her support person • Go over agenda/schedule that is posted in your home• Prompt your child to use analytic skills to assess how

they are performing on assigned tasks;– Embed questions designed to elicit meta-cognition into daily

instructions i.e., how did you solve that problem, can you think of another way of doing that

– Build error monitoring into task assignments i.e., have your child show that they have checked their work, or fill out proofreading checklists

– Give your child assignments requiring them to use metacognition skills i.e., ask them to give themselves a grade on an assignment and explain why they deserve that grade

Teaching Strategy• Use verbal mediation to talk through a task to help your

child direct their focus to their own behavior or work• Cue and encourage your child to reflect on “what

works”, “what doesn’t work” and “what do I try differently”

• Model for your child how to accept criticism without becoming angry or defensive and have them practice

• Ask your child to put away materials before the next activity and get materials ready for the next activity, then fade when they are ready for less direct support

• Build in editing or reviewing as part of every task in order to increase awareness of strengths and needs

• Teach how to use a Goal-Plan-Do-Review sequence for goal setting and/or self-monitoring independent work or long-term projects

• Ask your child to predict how well they will do on a particular task and compare prediction with outcome to increase awareness of strengths and needs

• Encourage charting of performance and/or behavior in order to provide tangible record of activity for ongoing self-monitoring

• Have your child develop error-monitoring checklists and prompt them to use them

• Generate a set of questions with your child to help them manage their behavior when confronted with a problem



How Do I Develop Attention Skills?

Definition: Attention• Sustaining attention on tasks that are not of high interest• Screens out distractions• Knows what to focus on and what to ignore

Impact: Attention• The student can not focus their attention on a task and

keep focusing as long as necessary• Sometimes the student is selective about what they

attend to or for how long they attend



How Do I Develop Attention Skills?

Environmental Supports• Reduce distractions• Cue to attend (look, listen, respond)• Build in variety/choice• Choose best time of day, when possible for tasks requiring

more concentration• Have your child place themselves in proximity to your

instruction and away from distraction – open door, shelves, windows, certain distractors

• Post stop and start times to help your child persist with tasks long enough to complete them

• Use a visual timer to motivate your child to complete assignments/tasks before the timer goes off

• Schedule the most demanding academic/household tasks for the beginning of class or period

• Have more rewarding/interesting/engaging activities occur after a more challenging task to keep motivation high

• Break tasks into subtasks and provide shortened breaks after each subtask

• Provide attention to your child, frequent feedback, and immediate reinforcement

• Provide your child something to look forward to that can be done as soon as task is finished

Teaching Strategy• Teach self-monitoring/peer coaching• Give nonverbal cues for attention – hand on the

shoulder, tap on his/her workspace• Devise signals to emphasize instructions (“John/Jane,

this is an instruction . . . “)• Have your child repeat directions back• Help them become more aware of their capacity to

sustain attention and teach them how to break a task down into pieces they can manage based on their own capacity

• Provide your child with motor/movement breaks• Have the your child identify something to look forward to• Help your child make a work plan, cue them to follow the

plan the have devised and reinforce them for following the plan successfully

• Gradually transfer the responsibility for making the plan to your child themselves



How Do I Develop Inhibition Skills?Definition: Inhibition

• Controls impulses• Appropriately stops and modulates ones own behavior

at the proper time or proper context

Impact: Inhibition• Students call out• Can not stop their behavior at the appropriate time,

including stopping actions and thoughts• Are seen as wild, restless, impulsive• Often are unable to control their words and bodies so

they need more supervision than others



How Do I Develop Inhibition Skills?Environmental Supports

• Post household rules and review regularly• Restrict access to preferred or distracting objects,

activities and/or siblings• Cue your child by developing a nonverbal signal that can

be used discretely to remind them to not call out, get out of seat, request assistance from you

• Remind your child prior to a situation of the behaviors you are working on related to inhibition

• Keep free tme well structured, consistent and adult-directed

• Increase external controls by restricting access to settings or situations in which your child can get into trouble

• Increase supervision by physically being within close proximity to your child

• Find ways to cue your child to control impulses i.e., posting and reviewing household rules or asking your child, “what behaviors are we working on?” to remind the them to exhibit self-control in specific situations

Teaching Strategy• Use a story/graphic with pictures of your child or a

favorite character following rules/ expectations related to inhibition

• Teach wait/stop• Teach your child to silently count to five before

responding verbally to a question• Teach delayed gratification by by using formal periods

for things he/she wants to do or have (first/then)• Prepare your child for situations that require impulse

control by reviewing them in advance, such as: a replacement for calling-out, then use immediate reinforcement and finally fade support

• Have your child set goals for accuracy of work and/or effort as opposed to speed

• Structure your verbal questions to limit length of your child’s response (i.e. “Tell me two things you know about ______ )

• Explain to tour child the skill being worked on and your understanding of intent of the behavior. Select a replacement behavior that meets the same need

• Walk your child through the process, having them practice the skills in a contrived situation, then when successful have the them use the skill in a natural environment, then reinforce immediately for using the skill


ld/adhd initiative executive functions modules

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