Hi Friends,
We here at Foster Parent Rescue are all about Practical Advice that works for everyday parents to help deal with the daily chaos of dealing with kids with behavioral problems.
We came across this book review that sounds like it may have some really useful tools for parents of troubled kids. Although we havent read the book yet ourselves, this comprehensive review does give some great information about the book, which includes practical exercises you can teach your kids to deal with their own behaviors.
Executive Function basically means teaching kids to deal with and control their own behaviors, which, I know, in some cases, won't work... but, in many, many families, will... and even if you don't think your child can handle self-regulating his or her behavior, teaching them techniques to calm themselves, remind themselves of routines or other tools is well worth the effort to try.
Check out the review and the book.. let us know what you think....
Working with children with ADHD,
Tourette’s Syndrome, or other challenges isn’t easy. Various issues can
make it hard for these kids to get through everyday tasks. In their
book, Executive Function & Child Development, Marcie Yeager
and Daniel Yeager provide a framework for teachers, parents,
pediatricians, and therapists to help children with developmental and
other issues become more independent.
The authors explain concepts clearly and provide concrete tips to help kids get through everyday activities. Most important, perhaps, is that their approach shows respect for children’s autonomy. The emphasis is on how to help children calm themselves down through self-soothing, as well as how to provide kids with the tools to help them further their own capacities — all of which fosters independence at a young age.
The first part of the book answers the question “What is executive function?” Simply put, it’s what allows you to complete tasks and survive in society. Marcie and Daniel Yeager explain that psychologists credit executive function with anywhere from three to 36 abilities, but that they’ve chosen to simplify the list of abilities into four categories.
The first ability of executive function they name, working memory, refers to how much we can keep track of in our heads at any given time. For instance, to “get ready to leave the house for school” a child probably has to eat breakfast, drink water, get dressed, brush his teeth, comb his hair, feed the dog, find his lunch box, find his homework, pack his school bag, and keep track of the time. Remembering all those tasks is the job of working memory.
The ability to shift focus, meanwhile, allows us to put our attention on tasks that we need to do while shifting away from distractions. Imagine that you’re folding and putting away the laundry and your cell phone rings. Your real intention is to finish the laundry. If you can ignore the phone, you’ve successfully shifted your focus back to the task you meant to do and worked toward your goal.
Inhibition is another capacity: It gives us the ability to stop and think of a second or third way of dealing with a situation after an initial plan pops into our mind. For instance, you might want to hit someone when he steals your favorite toy, but you’re able to stop and realize that you need a plan B.
Creating and carrying out the steps necessary to complete a goal form the fourth executive function, the authors tell us. To get ready for a vacation, for instance, you need to get your daily life settled and take steps to prepare for the trip. Maybe you need to kennel the dogs, contact someone to pick up your mail, set the sprinklers to automatically water your lawn, get the oil changed in the car, and lock the windows in the house. This goal-setting function involves understanding the big picture and also figuring out what all the little parts of the picture are.
Read more here: http://psychcentral.com/lib/2013/executive-function-child-development/
We here at Foster Parent Rescue are all about Practical Advice that works for everyday parents to help deal with the daily chaos of dealing with kids with behavioral problems.
We came across this book review that sounds like it may have some really useful tools for parents of troubled kids. Although we havent read the book yet ourselves, this comprehensive review does give some great information about the book, which includes practical exercises you can teach your kids to deal with their own behaviors.
Executive Function basically means teaching kids to deal with and control their own behaviors, which, I know, in some cases, won't work... but, in many, many families, will... and even if you don't think your child can handle self-regulating his or her behavior, teaching them techniques to calm themselves, remind themselves of routines or other tools is well worth the effort to try.
Check out the review and the book.. let us know what you think....
The authors explain concepts clearly and provide concrete tips to help kids get through everyday activities. Most important, perhaps, is that their approach shows respect for children’s autonomy. The emphasis is on how to help children calm themselves down through self-soothing, as well as how to provide kids with the tools to help them further their own capacities — all of which fosters independence at a young age.
The first part of the book answers the question “What is executive function?” Simply put, it’s what allows you to complete tasks and survive in society. Marcie and Daniel Yeager explain that psychologists credit executive function with anywhere from three to 36 abilities, but that they’ve chosen to simplify the list of abilities into four categories.
The first ability of executive function they name, working memory, refers to how much we can keep track of in our heads at any given time. For instance, to “get ready to leave the house for school” a child probably has to eat breakfast, drink water, get dressed, brush his teeth, comb his hair, feed the dog, find his lunch box, find his homework, pack his school bag, and keep track of the time. Remembering all those tasks is the job of working memory.
The ability to shift focus, meanwhile, allows us to put our attention on tasks that we need to do while shifting away from distractions. Imagine that you’re folding and putting away the laundry and your cell phone rings. Your real intention is to finish the laundry. If you can ignore the phone, you’ve successfully shifted your focus back to the task you meant to do and worked toward your goal.
Inhibition is another capacity: It gives us the ability to stop and think of a second or third way of dealing with a situation after an initial plan pops into our mind. For instance, you might want to hit someone when he steals your favorite toy, but you’re able to stop and realize that you need a plan B.
Creating and carrying out the steps necessary to complete a goal form the fourth executive function, the authors tell us. To get ready for a vacation, for instance, you need to get your daily life settled and take steps to prepare for the trip. Maybe you need to kennel the dogs, contact someone to pick up your mail, set the sprinklers to automatically water your lawn, get the oil changed in the car, and lock the windows in the house. This goal-setting function involves understanding the big picture and also figuring out what all the little parts of the picture are.
Read more here: http://psychcentral.com/lib/2013/executive-function-child-development/
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