Special Education

25+ Strategies for Kids with ADHD

May 19, 2019 by pathway2success 1 Comment

25+ strategies for kids and teens with ADHD! Help students find success in the classroom with organization, study strategies, extra movement, building confidence, strategies for attention, setting up a work station, and more. Activities and materials to use to help children and young adults be more independent. #adhd #pathway2success

Kids and young adults with ADHD can be extremely bright, creative, and helpful. These are often the learners coming up with new invention ideas, filling up a journal with intricate comic book drawings, and eager to answer all of your questions in class. With that said, learners with ADHD can struggle in the classroom setting. They might be prone to forgetting assignments, struggling to focus during lessons, misunderstanding directions, shouting out during discussions, and having difficulty with social situations.

Given all the strengths and challenges for kids with ADHD, these kids need their time to shine! Setting up some accommodations and supports can go a long way to helping learners with ADHD succeed.

Here are over 25 strategies educators can try to help learners with ADHD:

Give extra opportunities for movement. A few years ago, I signed one of my students up for an extra gym class. Other years, we spent our homeroom time in the gym running and playing basketball. Other options include having your student help pass out papers or giving them items to deliver to other classrooms (sometimes this can be real items you need to get places, or just a task to get the student up and moving). It can also be extremely helpful to incorporate movement into your actual lessons. Even just moving from center to center can give a student the break they need to do their best.

Consider flexible seating. Wobble stools are definitely one of my favorites! They give kids and young adults a chance to wiggle and move while still staying seated. Other options include yoga balls, floor seats, scoop rockers, or even standing while working.

Set up a work station in each class. Kids with ADHD can often struggle with organization and remembering to bring materials. While the goal is always to have those learners become more independent and learn strategies to become more organized, it’s important they are not missing out on their education in the process. Set up a work station in each classroom with required books, paper, pencils, and other necessary resources that student may need. The idea is that those materials stay in the classroom and never leave, so that the student always has materials to get started on their work for the day.

Give clear verbal and written instructions. Kids with ADHD can struggle with following multi-step directions given all at once. Being concise and clear with your words can help kids understand exactly what they need to do. Further, providing directions in written AND verbal form can make sure students won’t forget that information. It can be helpful to keep directions in one place on the board at all times. This routine can help kids know exactly where they should be looking if they are lost.

Teach executive functioning skills. Learning how our brains work can be such a powerful tool, especially for kids who already struggle with organization, planning, attention, managing emotions, and more critical executive functioning skills. Be explicit in teaching executive functioning skills to help empower kids and young adults and give them the skills they need for success.

Use checklists. I love checklists because they can be used for anything and they teach a critical life skill. If your student is forgetful about bringing materials home at night, put an end of the day checklist in their locker. If your student struggles with transitioning from one activity to another, add a transition checklist on top of their desk. It’s important to note that students need to be taught how to use checklists and given lots of time to practice. Of course, the goal is that they will be able to use the checklist completely on their own!

Use a visual schedule. Kids with ADHD can have difficulty planning and understanding time. Using a visual schedule of what students will be doing can ease their minds and help them recognize what’s coming up next. It can also reduce off-task questions during a lesson about when lunch or gym time is!

Explicitly teach how to organize. Getting and staying organized is not intuitive to many kids with ADHD. Take the time to teach strategies and plans for getting organized, including how to organize your binder, what your desk should look like, how to organize homework assignments, and developing an organized work space at home.

Incorporate routines. As much as possible, add routines into your classroom. While extra time is needed to teach and practice routines, this will pay off tremendously in the end. Routines help kids with ADHD know exactly what they need to do at what times. It takes the guess work out of situations like morning work, transitions, and reading time.

Schedule an organizing check-in time. Once a week, schedule a chunk of time dedicated for organizing materials. Friday can be a good day to do this so that the student is tidying up everything from the week and getting ready for the next. During this time, have the student use a checklist to go through their binders and materials, putting papers where they need to go. Truly ALL students can benefit from a weekly organization time, but it could be critical for kids with ADHD.

Use a thought journal. For students who struggle with talking out a lot, help them share their thoughts in a positive and more private way with a thought journal. They can write to you in their thought journal and have a spot for questions they want to look up later.

Incorporate brain breaks. A brain break is a short activity that helps “reset” the brain between academic tasks. Students with ADHD are often using up lots of brain power to pay attention, stay organized, manage their time, and use self-control in academic settings. Giving a quick brain break can help students feel refreshed and ready to start a new task.

Consider a digital homework log. If the student has a tablet or other electronic device, sometimes it helps to store homework there instead of on paper or a notebook that can get lost.

Teach about ADHD. Learners should know and own their individual strengths and weaknesses. Learning about their own ADHD can help kids understand the challenges in front of them and be more willing to use supports and strategies to help. It’s important to not teach ADHD as an excuse for poor choices. Instead, focus more on self-awareness and the idea that we can improve when we know what challenges we are dealing with.

Give time for organization throughout the day. When switching from one task to another, kids are going to need a little bit extra time to put materials away in the right spot and take out what else they need. Moving along too fast, without stopping to get organized, can cause kids to just shove papers away mindlessly in their desks or books. This, of course, reinforces negative behaviors for disorganization. One simple solution is just taking a few extra minutes between transitions to help your student get situated and ready to go for the next task.

Use a timer. Help kids learn to recognize and understand the importance of time management and pacing with a timer. You can say, “We have 20 minutes to work on our writing prompts. During that time, we’ll need to take out our writing journals, plan out ideas on paper, and write at least 2 paragraphs. I’m going to set the timer for 20 minutes.” Visual timers are actually the best because they show how much time is left before they go off!

Focus on confidence-building. Many students with ADHD struggle with low self-esteem. Sometimes, this is hidden by silly attention-seeking behaviors, but don’t let that fool you. A number of students with ADHD struggle in school socially, emotionally, and academically. You can teach skills for success and build confidence at the same time! Give the student a special job in class that only they are responsible for. Let the student teach the class about something they are an expert in. Have the student keep a list of all of their positive qualities and refer back to it when they need. These are just a few small examples that can build up over time.

Give time warnings. Help students improve their time management skills by giving warnings when 10 or 5 minutes of a lesson are left. You can even get in the habit of ringing a bell when there are 5 minutes left of a working period. This gives students a chance to plan, organize, and be ready to transition to what’s next.

Practice social skills. It’s no secret that kids with ADHD often struggle socially. If your student doesn’t have a strong foundation of social skills, teach them! You can put together a small social skills group that targets skills they need. If your time is really limited and this isn’t an option for you, talk to your school social worker or school counselor and see if it’s an option for them. I have social skills resources for younger kids and lessons for older kids, too. Sometimes, kids have the foundation of social skills and still don’t apply them, though. In this case, it’s important to remember that the skills need constant practice, discussion, and reinforcement. Add some social skills task cards to your morning meeting time or between transitions to discuss social situations and how students should behave.

Incorporate behavior plans. Some students truly benefit from a structured behavior incentive plan. This is especially helpful for kids who just can’t see far into the future. Students need to know after they finish these 3 (or any number) tasks, they will earn their free time. When you develop your behavior plans, it’s extremely important to do it WITH your student. They are, of course, the whole reason for the plan! Not only does it help create buy-in, but your learner can give valuable information about what they’d like to earn most and what they think they can do to earn that reward. Keep in mind that behavior plans are not a “set it and forget it” intervention. Students with ADHD can often get “bored” of the reward and you might need to change things up frequently to help the student achieve success.

Reduce distractions. This one might seem obvious, but is sometimes overlooked. Be mindful about where you seat a student with ADHD. Right by the door, the pencil sharpener, the fan, or a window probably isn’t the best idea. While these seats might be moderately distracting for a student without ADHD, it can be unbearably difficult for kids with ADHD. Consider the layout of your classroom and develop a working space that works for your student. Other distractors might include artwork hanging from the ceiling or colorful bulletin boards. This isn’t to say you can’t have these things in your classroom, but it’s important to be mindful about them when you have a student with ADHD.

Give positive feedback. As much as possible, focus on positive and specific feedback for your student. Kids with ADHD are prone to hearing lots of negatives sometimes. This can be extremely challenging for them and even cause learned helplessness. When the student is starting their work, let them know by saying, “Nice job getting started on your writing right away, and look how much you got done because of it!”

Chunk long-term projects. Whether a project is due in 3 days or 2 weeks, kids with ADHD are likely to struggle with any type of long-term assignment without support and scaffolding. So often, these students have wonderful and robust ideas, but lack the ability to plan, organize, and manage their time well enough to see those ideas through. Create mini-deadlines along the way for each project to provide structure. Conference with the student and give them a schedule or timeline of the mini-deadlines. Each deadline should specify what needs to be completed by which date. Then, at each deadline, it’s important to truly check in with the student and hold them accountable for what is due. Give feedback and make a plan going forward to the next deadline. At first, it’s likely an adult will have to spell out many of these tasks for their students. With time and practice, you should work towards discussing, collaborating, and creating mini-deadlines together in a conference so that students will eventually be able to chunk long-term projects on their own.

Incorporate hands-on learning. Simply put, kids with ADHD learn best when they are doing! Try to add opportunities for kids to experience learning in a hands-on and interactive way. For example, after reading a novel, have students work together to act out a scene. If you are studying cells in science class, let your students create a model out of materials to present. Being creative with hands-on learning experience can make a huge difference for some learners with ADHD.

Offer choices. Giving students simple choices can be a win-win for both the student and teacher. You can offer choices on which work is to be completed and how work is completed. When studying different states in the United States, let your learner select which state to research on his or her own. If you are focusing on paragraph writing, ask if they want to write in pencil, pen, or with a gel pen. As silly as it sounds, small choices go a long way. They can make dull tasks fun, exciting, and personalized. Sometimes, this is just what a kid with ADHD needs to get and stay motivated!

Partner with families. Reach out to families early and always start with the positive! This sets the tone in a way paved for success. It’s important to also meet with the family early on to discuss strengths, challenges, and goals. Sometimes, it can be helpful to have a weekly progress check through phone or email just to let the parents know how your student is working towards those goals. Other times, a daily behavior log that needs to be signed by parents is best. Keep in mind that if your student needs incentives, home-based ones can often be very powerful. Discuss how you can work together to get the child what he or she wants while also progressing towards success in the classroom.

Schedule toughest academics early. If you can, schedule your student’s toughest academics in the morning. Students are more likely to be focused and on-task earlier in the day than in the afternoon. Sometimes, I know this just can’t be done, but if you can, it could make a big difference.

Use peer role models. Consider seating your learner next to a peer role model in the class who can model on-task behaviors and positive decision-making skills. It is important and healthy to switch students every so often so that one student doesn’t end up relying on another.

Teach positive self-talk. Kids and young adults with ADHD unfortunately hear a lot of negative feedback. It’s important to keep them confident and strong while working on their challenges. One simple way to do that is to teach them how to use positive self-talk, a strategy they can keep with them wherever they go.

Provide fidgets. Before using any fidgets, it’s most important to actually teach how to use them. Students should understand that they are tools and not just something to play with. It’s simple: If they are helping the student focus, they’re working! If they are more of a distraction, they should be put away. Stress balls, Velcro strips, and putty are a few easy-to-find fidgets you can try out in the classroom.

What other supports and strategies do you use for your learners with ADHD? I’d love to hear!

Interventions for Executive Functioning Challenges: Attention

April 15, 2019 by pathway2success 1 Comment

Challenges with focus and attention can become a huge roadblock to learning for kids and young adults. Simply put, attention is critical to learning. If students can’t focus on the lesson, they are going to struggle with understanding the new content. If students can’t focus on the directions, they are not going to know what to do. If learners are unable to switch their focus, they are unable to initiate new tasks. When students have difficulty with attention skills, it can be challenging for the educator, but also extremely frustrating for the learner.

It’s important to note that this article isn’t specifically written for kids with ADHD. That is because many kids (whether diagnosed with ADHD or not) have challenges with focus and attention. As always, it’s more important to focus on the interventions and supports than the label. With that said, if you feel your student or child does have symptoms of ADHD, it’s important to share those concerns with the school team or pediatrician.

What is attention? Attention is a fascinating multi-faceted skill. It is so much more than just being able to stay focused. Attention involves having self-awareness about your level of attention so that you can direct and re-direct your focus, as needed. It is being able to ignore distractions, like a cell phone or friends talking nearby. Even further, attention is being able switch your focus to more important information or a new task, such as when new directions are being given while working.

• Examples of Attention •

It’s important to note that attention is an academic skill, but it is also a life skill. It’s really a prerequisite to be able to learn new information. People need to pay attention while hearing new content, but also when having conversations with others. Here are some examples of what strong attention skills might look like:

Keeping eyes on the teacher and listening while learning about a new skill.
Quickly being able to switch focus from one task to another.
Making eye contact and listening to a peer during a conversation.
Listening and thinking about directions being given by a teacher or boss.
Being able to stop, focus, and listen when important information is being conveyed.

• Possible Signs of Challenges with Attention •

Challenges with attention can have big impacts for students. As previously stated, when learners aren’t able to focus on new material, this makes learning that content that much harder. Similarly, when learners aren’t focused during instructions, they won’t understand how to proceed with an activity. Simply put, attention challenges become a major roadblock to learning.

Possible signs of attention challenges might include:

A student constantly staring out the window or down the hallway instead of watching the teacher during a lesson.
A learner who frequently misses hearing important instructions for tasks and then isn’t sure what to do.
A student who constantly plays with objects (pencils, toys, etc) instead of working on assigned tasks.
A child who is unable to finish assignments due to various distractions.

• Interventions, Supports, and Strategies for Attention •

Here are some strategies, activities, and ideas to help learners with time management challenges in the classroom:

Teach about attention and other EF skills explicitly
Give clear, one-step directions
Teach how to stay organized
Highlight most important directions on assignments
Teach and use classroom call-and response
Use a chime before giving important information
Incorporate movement during lessons and activities
Use visuals as reminders and supports
Reduce distractions around the room (ex: too many posters or a fan nearby)
Use preferential seating (find where the student can focus the best, as this is different for every child)
Incorporate hands-on learning activities
Use a study carrel (you can buy one or build it out of cardboard!)
Add center activities to allow for more movement during tasks
Break longer tasks into smaller, more manageable ones
Provide fidgets (and explicitly teach how to use them as a tool)
Give break breaks between lessons and activities
Teach students how to check in with themselves
Set a timer for work sessions
Consider a white noise machine or playing classical music during work sessions
Assign a study buddy during work sessions
Play attention-boosting games and play activities (like Simon Says)
Use student interests in lessons
Provide extra time to complete assignments

• Strategies for Parents to Support Attention Skills at Home •

It’s important to note that parents and families can also implement strategies to help at home! Here are some strategies parents and families can use at home strengthen skills for attention:

Be clear with directions (and give fewer words)
Allow wind-down time after school
Build in routines and consistency
Develop a “homework space and time” (and stick with it)
Teach self-monitoring
Break longer tasks into smaller, more manageable ones
Keep an organized and tidy work space to reduce distractions
Give check-ins during longer work sessions (“Show me what you accomplished so far.”)
Reduce distractions (television, cell phone, computer)
Model focusing while the child is working (read while they do homework, for example)
Use a white-noise machine
Give breaks after work completion
Incorporate rewards for completing chores or assignments

If you notice that your learners need some extra support with their attention and other executive functioning skills, I have units to target executive functioning skills for middle and high school learners and executive functioning skills for younger learners. Get all your materials in one spot to make teaching these skills a breeze!

This is a blog series focused on interventions to support executive functioning skills. Make sure you read up on interventions for planning and supports for organization!

15+ Ways to Teach Executive Functioning Skills

April 2, 2019 by pathway2success 2 Comments

In many ways, strong executive functioning skills are the foundation for success. These are the mental processes that help learners plan through assignments, organize materials, initiate a task, manage time well, stay focused, try new strategies when stuck, and persevere until the completion of a goal. If you think about it, those skills are important for every single thing we do! They are also integrated into every content and curriculum area that we teach. If we want our students to be better planners, organizers, and flexible thinkers, we need to invest the time in teaching executive functioning skills.

The best part about teaching these skills is that all learners can benefit from improved executive functioning skills. Students can always learn better strategies for planning, organizing, managing time, paying attention, and problem-solving to work through challenges. Of course, it shouldn’t go without saying that some students need these skills more critically than others. Whether you are teaching these skills as an extra support or a necessary intervention, it is always worth the time.

Here are over 15 ways you can teach executive functioning skills:

#1 Teach skills explicitly.

Plan an executive functioning and study skills block to teach skills explicitly. Depending on what time you have available, you can choose to teach these skills for 20 minutes per day or just once a week. As an educator, I know it’s challenging to find more time in the day. Some possibilities that might work include during a lunch group, resource room, morning meeting, advisory periods, or just once a week at the start of your class to start the week off strong. Even though finding the time can be difficult, it is always worth the investment. If you aren’t sure where to start, check out this yearlong executive functioning set of lessons and activities. By learning skills for planning, organization, time management, attention, and more, students will have more strategies necessary to succeed in school and beyond.

#2 Engage in class discussions.

As a group, openly talk about each of the skills and ask questions to get students really thinking. You can always come up with conversation starters on your own. One of my favorite ways to do this, though, is using these Executive Functioning Task Cards. They are already broken up into 10 executive functioning skills. You can just read the card and give time for students to discuss in small groups or as a full class. Some examples of questions might be: “Choose any class. If you had a test in that class, what 3 pages from your notebook would study from? (this focuses on organization)” or “You have a lot of homework and you have practice at 6pm. What can you do?” (this focuses on planning). The whole idea is to get learners thinking and activating their brains for each of the skills. And of course, kids often learn best from each other so discussion is always a great option!

#3 Play board games.

Games are a fun, interactive, and motivating way to practice executive functioning skills. The key is to be purposeful about highlight and teaching the skills as you play. For example, one of my favorite games is Pictionary. By playing, kids can work on a number of skills: They have to plan what they will draw, manage their time as the timer goes down, and be flexible and change their strategy when others aren’t guessing correctly. Read this blog post for more ideas about using games to strengthen executive functioning skills.

#4 Integrate it with curriculum.

Executive functioning skills are in everything we do. It only makes sense to teach and discuss them in everything, too. If you are starting a long-term project, take a little extra time to teach about planning. Help students understand that they should map out exactly what they want to accomplish before they start. During independent work time, discuss strategies for time management and using time well. Before a test or quiz, explain about metacognition and thinking about what you know in order to help learners study what they really need to. The opportunities for integrating EF skills into the curriculum are truly endless.

#5 Read literature and stories.

Literature can be used to discuss and highlight a number of skills. Again, the key is to be purposeful and directed about discussing and teaching those skills. You might ask how a character planned for a certain event, why they used self-control, or how they used perseverance to work through a challenge. There are so many wonderful short stories and picture books that help highlight some of these skills. I’ve also developed an entire set of Executive Functioning Stories that explicitly highlight the skills. Of course, you can highlight many of these skills is almost any story you choose!

#6 Highlight skills throughout the day.

Just like with academic content, students need to hear EF terms and phrases over and over again. One simple way to help kids learn about executive functioning skills is just to talk about them and highlight them on a regular basis. Remind them when they are using self-control to stop and think before answering a question. Encourage a student who organizes their binder during downtime in class. These small reminders can go a long way!

#7 Use an interactive notebook.

Interactive notebooks can be a great tool to teach skills in a fun and hands-on way. I developed a complete executive functioning interactive notebook to teach about all EF skills: everything from planning and organization to self-control and flexibility. If you haven’t used an interactive notebook before, the idea is really simple. Kids follow the directions to cut out items and put them in their notebooks. They have to read passages, answer questions, and complete tasks along the way. Kids learn critical skills in a hands-on way while creating a permanent notebook as evidence of their learning.

#8 Use crafts.

Using crafts can be highly motivating! For many learners, art can be a window into learning skills that are otherwise very challenging for them. One of my favorite crafts is making Executive Functioning Keys. The whole idea is to teach kids about the skills while they put together their own set of “keys to their success”. As you give each student a key to cut out and put on a ring, discuss the skill and explain why it is important. Best of all, learners can keep these keys as a reminder of the skills they’ve learned about.

#9 Watch videos.

There are many free videos for kids and young adults that teach about executive functioning skills. One set of videos called “Adventures of You” highlights EF skills in a very kid-friendly way. These would make for a fun advisory or morning meeting discussion!

#10 Develop and reflect on goals.

Developing goals with students can be extremely beneficial. This activity can be done during morning meeting, an advisory period, or an end-of-the-week reflection time. By creating goals and monitoring the progress on a regular basis, students can start to become more self-reflective. They should think about what worked, why they saw an improvement (or why they didn’t), and what strategies they can implement going forward.

#11 Play activities and other games.

It’s helpful to have a “toolbox” of quick activities for highlighting and practicing EF skills. Simple activities like Freeze, Simon Says, Musical Chairs, and Guard Duty are great when you have just a few minutes left of class and want to use it in a positive way. Head over to this blog post to read more about practicing executive functioning skills with play activities.

#12 Use role play.

Bring up real-life scenarios involving executive functioning skills and have students act out the situation with partners. For example, you might say: You were out sick for two days and you have no idea what the homework was. What might you do? Students act out solving the problem, such as going and asking the teacher, looking up assignments online, calling a friend, or asking a classmate face-to-face. Role-play is one of my favorite techniques because it’s fun for the kids and they will remember the skills they act out!

#13 Give mini-lessons on one skill per week (or month).

If you want to integrate EF skills into the day, plan to teach one skill per week or month. Do whichever works best for you. My favorite order of teaching these skills is: Planning, Organization, Time Management, Task Initiation, Working Memory, Metacognition, Self-Control, Attention, Flexibility, and Perseverance. Start by discussing the skill, explaining what it means and what it looks like, give reasons why it’s important, and strategies to help learners improve the skill. Then, continue to highlight and discuss that skill consistently throughout the week or month. Use this free executive functioning poster to help you discuss each skill.

#14 Use visual cues and reminders.

Use posters or a bulletin board to visually remind learners about the skills. You can even have your students create class visuals with directions on what it means to pay attention, manage your time, and get organized! Refer back to the visuals to discuss and highlight these skills throughout the week. For students in need, you can even give them specialized visuals reminding about specific skills right on their binders or desks.

#15 Use escape rooms.

An escape room activity is a little bit of work to set up, but worth all the effort! I created a few sets of executive functioning escape rooms to target these skills in an interactive way. Students work together in teams to solve puzzles. Each puzzle requires them to learn about and use executive functioning skills. After completing all puzzles, students will get access to a secret phrase to “escape” the room. Try this free executive functioning escape room to get started or read up more about how to build escape rooms in your classroom!

#16 Use brainteasers and brain games.

Start the day with a brainteaser or riddle to get kids thinking! Not only are kids exercising their brains, but these are fun activities that help set a positive tone for the day. One thing I loved doing in my middle school classroom was sharing a riddle and not giving the answer until the end of the day to encourage kids to think on their own and develop perseverance! Brainteasers and brain games can be so much fun.

While all learners can benefit from learning about executive functioning skills, some students are going to need executive functioning interventions and supports a lot more than others. For more information, read up on my blog series about executive functioning interventions and supports.

10 Ways to Appreciate Paraeducators

March 17, 2019 by pathway2success 1 Comment

One of my strongest principles and beliefs is to support, cherish, and value the paraeducators we work with. After spending 10 years in a middle school special education classroom, it’s easy to say that paras are the foundation to our entire education system. Without them, kids in classrooms would struggle to understand key content, groups in the special education setting would be too large and unmanageable, teachers would have even bigger difficulties with classroom management, and many kids wouldn’t be able to access their least restrictive environment. Paraeducators make education work. And since it’s clear to say we’re just not paying them enough right now, the very least we can do as teachers is appreciate them for the love and support they bring every single day to our classrooms.

Here are 10 ways you can appreciate paraeducators in your classroom:

1. Introduce them. At the beginning of the year (or anytime when a para joins your class), take the time to introduce them to your students. Let the kids know who they are and how they will support everyone. Most importantly, set the tone that it’s important to give respect to the paraeducator just as you would to any teacher.

2. Treat them as an equal. Many paraeducators are highly educated and have countless years of experience in the classroom. Treat them just as you would any other teacher colleague. Not only can they tell, but the students you teach notice, too!

3. Say “thank you” at the end of the day. This is so important to me. Paraeducators work so hard every single day, and some days are especially tough. It’s such a small gesture but can mean a lot to just say “thank you”. Make it a habit at the end of every day.

4. Get to know to them. The school day is always crazy busy from start to finish, so it’s understandable that you don’t have a ton of time for small talk. Still, it’s important for you to get to know the paraeducator working in your classroom. Ask them about their family, inquire about their hobbies, and how their weekends were. Sometimes, I’ve learned helpful facts that can even help them bond with a particular student or reteach a certain subject. Not to mention, it’s important to just value them and let them know you do care.

5. Ask for their feedback (and value it). Remember when you have a paraeducator in your classroom, they are a second set of educator eyes watching how you teach and how the students are responding. Sometimes, there are things we just can’t see from the front of the classroom or while we’re leading a small group. Talk to the paraeducator in your room about what’s working and what could be improved. Ask for their feedback on future lessons and supports for the students, especially the ones with special education needs. Becoming a team with your paraeducators can truly help you become a better teacher!

6. Use the term paraeducator. Many use the term paraprofessional, which is also an appropriate term. To me, though, I like to highlight that they are not just an extra person in the classroom. Avoid using terms like aide and assistant. They are educators. Let’s call them one.

7. Buy them a coffee (or tea). At my last position, this became my Friday ritual. Trust me, the paraeducator I worked with truly deserved it and I loved being able to give her something small to look forward to each Friday. You don’t have to stick to every week or every other week. Even just a special treat out of the blue will show your gratitude. Get one for yourself, too, of course.

8. Write them a note. Everyone likes a kind note once in a while! Take a few minutes to write a kind note thanking your paraeducators and drop it in their mailbox or even their lunch bag. It’s just another small way to appreciate what they do every day.

9. Give them a break. If you notice that a paraeducator is having a tough day or struggling with a particular student or group, offer to switch off with them. Better yet, if you can, tell them to go get a coffee in the teacher’s lounge and take a few minutes to themselves.

10. Include them in the school community. Sometimes there are teacher gatherings after school or meetings that only teachers are invited to. Instead, start to adopt a culture where all educators are included and valued. This isn’t to say that paraeducators should be expected to attend extra meetings or PD opportunities, but they should at least be given the option.

How do you appreciate the paraeducators you work with? Let me know what you would add!

12 Reasons Why Special Educators are Really Superheroes

March 3, 2019 by pathway2success 2 Comments

As special educators, we might not be able to read minds or fly, but we certainly are superheroes in action. Whether we are teaching a lesson or running an IEP meeting, special education teachers go above and beyond to help those in need and do what is right. Here are 12 reasons why special educators are really superheroes in disguise:

We always have a mission. As special education teachers, we are always goal-oriented and focused on a positive end-result. Sometimes we might do silly things, like tell a story about our dog or wear a silly hat to get a laugh, but we always have a reason and a purpose. We always have a mission, so trust us!

We always see the good. Special educators are masters of seeing the positive. We see the ability instead of the disability. We see the strength instead of just the challenges. This is imperative when working with kids and young adults who struggle academically, socially, and emotionally.

We have secret special powers. Every special educator has special abilities. Whether it is building strong relationships with our students or using tricks to teach a complicated math lesson, we have the skills and we know how to use them!

We come to the rescue. When our learners are struggling academically, socially, or emotionally, we are there at a moment’s notice. Special education teachers are always ready and prepared to put out fires right away before they turn into an inferno. It’s just another one of our special abilities.

We have special sidekicks. Of course, I’m talking about amazing paraeducators. Where would we be without them!? Paraeducators are the backbone to special education programs all over the world. When we work together with our amazing paraeducators, anything is possible.

We stand up for what is right. Advocating for our learners is a critical part of our job. Sometimes this means explaining to a teacher why a student needs a particular accommodation or modification. Other times it might mean talking to a parent about why some supports aren’t actually necessary for their child. And quite often, it means reminding our learners what their own responsibilities are. We stand up for what is right. Sometimes it’s not easy, but it has to be done!

We always help those in need. Special educators are compassionate. We love helping kids and young adults, whether they are on our caseload or not. Helping learners is just what we do.

We encourage and inspire others. One of our biggest jobs is inspiring our learners to be the very best they can be. To help students think about goals so they can achieve their dreams.

We have strength like no one else. Special educators do it all. Between planning, teaching lessons, testing, writing reports, running IEP meetings, and contacting parents (just to name a few responsibilities), special education teachers are always going. It’s important to note that even though we have this super strength, all educators need time to focus on self-care! This is critical to reduce burnout and continue doing our best for our learners.

We fix problems before anyone else knows they are there. Special educators go above and beyond. Sometimes, no one sees this, but we know what we do! Whether it’s modifying a math test at the last minute or reminding a teacher to fill out the report before an IEP meeting, special education teachers are problem-solvers across the board.

We can become invisible. Ultimately, the goal is for our learners to be completely independent. After teaching skills, giving practice, and providing accommodations, we are working on helping our students do the work on their own! Slowly, we fade those supports and start to become invisible so that our students succeed independently.

We never give up. Special educators are masters of perseverance and resilience. If something isn’t working with a student, we re-assess and try something new. We never give up, because we know that progress can always be made.

If you want to boost morale and encourage special educators in your building, get these in a fun set of posters to hang up in the staff room, teacher’s lounge, resource room, or anywhere else!

Special educators need all the love they can get so let’s remind them that they are truly superheroes! Share with a special educator you love!

Interventions for Executive Functioning Challenges: Time Management

February 18, 2019 by pathway2success 1 Comment

Time management skills are essentially life skills. Kids and young adults need this skills now and in the future. All educators and parents want our learners to be able to work independently, use time well, and complete tasks on time. In order to meet these expectations, students need to learn, understand, and continually practice skills for time management.

Kids and young adults can benefit greatly from just learning what time management is and why it matters. The whole idea is that we can work smarter instead of harder, helping us to complete our work more efficiently in a shorter time frame. To kids who struggle with time management, this idea that they can learn tips and tricks to use their time better can actually sound like magic! Best of all, these skills are so broad that they can be integrated into every single thing we do. From every content area to every chore at home, we use time management skills (and they really DO pay off).

What is time management? Time management is having an accurate understanding of time and making decisions to complete tasks in a timely way. As with most other executive functioning skills, time management isn’t just one isolated skill. It includes being able to estimate how long tasks will take, prioritizing, dividing time between tasks, pacing yourself, using time wisely, and working to meet deadlines.

• Examples of Time Management •

Here are some examples of what strong time management skills might look like on the spot:

Prioritizing which homework assignments to start before beginning a list of work.
Someone pacing themselves on a test to make sure they finish in the given time frame.
Writing out a daily schedule to keep track of times and events.
Chunking a project into sections to complete it by a specific deadline.

• Possible Signs of Challenges with Time Management •

It’s important to think of time management as a foundational skill for overall success. Imagine this: A student understands the content in a class well. They start working on a graded project to demonstrate their knowledge. The student is doing a fantastic job – truly their best work! The problem is that they realize the deadline for the project is tomorrow and there is no way they will be finished on time. Does the student turn in a half-completed project? Turn it in late? Rush and complete work that isn’t their best quality? Give up and turn in nothing at all? All of these outcomes demonstrate a clear issue with time management. Simply put, time management skills are a critical element to doing our best work.

Possible signs of time management challenges might include:

A learner spending too long on one problem or section of an assignment.
A student working on an assignment due next week (or not working on anything at all) when they have other work that is due next period.
A student consistently actively working but not finishing assessments or other assignments in a given time period.
A student who appears to always be in a rush at the last minute to finish work.

• Interventions, Supports, and Strategies for Time Management •

As with all executive functioning skills, time management abilities can be strengthened and improved over time. Here are some strategies, activities, and ideas to help learners with time management challenges in the classroom:

Teach time management and other EF skills explicitly
Discuss and practice prioritizing with multiple tasks (one way to do this is make a list of assignments and go back and order them by importance)
Teach how to make checklists for a set of steps or tasks
Practice estimating time for different takes (you can even make it a game! “How long do you think it would take you to clean your room?”)
Use a visual timer to visually show how much time is left for a task or session
Use chimes to warn 5 (or 10) minutes before transitions
Maintain a relatively consistent and predictable daily schedule
Keep the class schedule listed in the same spot every day
Teach, practice, and discuss routines frequently
Have students put their schedules on the front of their binders or desks
Identify and reduce distractors (you can even call them time-eaters!)
Discuss and practice strategies for moving on when stuck (skipping a problem, rereading, asking a friend, etc.)
Practice, model, and teach organization (since it is easier to use our time well when we are orderly and organized)
Practice planning out longer project together with mini-deadlines along the way
Provide work check-ins to students to make sure they are on the right track
Teach how to maximize downtime (ex: if you finish your work early in study hall, look over other work and start something else!)
Teach students how to check-in with themselves (“How am I doing? Am I on track?)
Play time-based games (add a timer to most any game like Pictionary or Scrabble to get kids managing their time!)
Discuss and practice what it means to “pace yourself”

• Strategies for Parents to Support Time Management at Home •

Here are some strategies parents and families can use at home strengthen skills for time management:

Model and practice estimating how long a task might take
Create a home calendar with important events listed
Discuss daily priorities and tasks at a common time (such as breakfast)
Develop a daily schedule with dedicated homework and chore times
Use strategies to stay organized and tidy
Reduce and give limits for social media and television time
Practice making to-do lists together and ordering items by importance
Identify, discuss, and reduce distractions (“time-eaters”)
Establish routines (for morning, after school, and bedtime)
Avoid over-scheduling (kids and young adults need downtime to learn how to use their free time, too!)
Consider digital calendars or apps
Model and discuss thinking ahead (such as putting clothes out for the next day)
Use a timer for working sessions
Use and discuss deadlines for tasks (“Your room needs to be organized by Thursday.”)
Provide rewards and incentives for completing tasks (“When all your homework is done, you can have 30 minutes of video game time.”)

If you notice that your learners need some extra support with their time management and other executive functioning skills, I have units to target executive functioning skills for middle and high school learners and executive functioning skills for younger learners. Get all your materials in one spot to make teaching these skills a breeze!

This is a blog series focused on interventions to support executive functioning skills. Make sure you read up on interventions for planning and supports for organization!

Interventions for Executive Functioning Challenges: Task Initiation

February 4, 2019 by pathway2success 4 Comments

Strategies and supports for executive functioning challenges can make all the difference, especially for students who struggle with task initiation. This is such an important skill, since it’s like the motor in allowing us to get started on all tasks and assignments. When someone is struggling to initiate, tasks take longer and require more effort. This can be extremely frustrating for both educators and the students themselves. Sometimes, a lack of task initiation skills can be misinterpreted for behavioral problems and defiance. This is because it looks like the child is avoiding what they should be doing, when in reality, the child might not have the skills to get themselves going in a positive way. This can be difficult to discern at first glance and often takes a little bit of investigating. It is helpful to observe the child, talk with them, and even try some of the interventions listed below to see how they help.

The ultimate goal is helping kids and young adults learn strategies to independently get themselves going so they can be successful. Best of all, these are skills that every single person can benefit from, since we could all improve our ability to get started right away on what we need to.

What is task initiation? Task initiation is the ability to start a task. It includes overcoming procrastination and getting started on tasks even if you don’t want to do them. Obviously, this is a critical life skill, since there are many chores and tasks we must complete even when we don’t feel like doing them at the moment.

• Examples of Task Initiation •

Skills for task initiation can be difficult to spot, because it just appears like someone doing what they are “supposed” to do! Just a few examples of what task initiation looks like includes:

Starting an assignment in class right away after directions are given.
Cleaning your room when it needs to be done, without reminders or prompts.
Beginning a tough test or quiz, even if you aren’t 100% confident on the assignment.

• Possible Signs of Challenges with Task Initiation •

Learners who struggle with task initiation are frequently getting in trouble for not doing their work. While at first glance this can appear as intentional avoidance behavior, kids and young adults who struggle with task initiation really lack the skills to get themselves going. Again, this can be extremely frustrating for learners, since they often want to do their work but just don’t know how to start or get themselves in action. Being able to notice possible signs can be helpful to target these students early on.

Possible signs of challenges with task initiation include:

A student putting their head down when it is time to begin work independently.
Someone who finds other things to do when it’s time to work, such as sharpening pencil multiple times or getting a drink.
A student who says, “I don’t know what to do,” even if directions were just given.
A learner who just doodles on their paper instead of completing the task.
A child or young adult who is frustrated when trying to start their work.

• Interventions, Supports, and Strategies for Task Initiation •

Task initiation skills can certainly be improved with practice. Here are some activities, tasks, and ideas to help with task initiation needs in the classroom:

Teach task initiation and other EF skills explicitly
Practice brain breaks between tasks
Give choice for how to complete the task or demonstrate knowledge
Be explicit with directions and provide them orally and in writing
Incorporate areas of interest into the content and curriculum (i.e. the price of skateboards in math)
Train a peer mentor to help the student in need get started on tasks
Practice the rocket ship countdown (Say: 5-4-3-2-1 blast off… on “blast off”, get up and get going!)
Allow the student to work with a partner
Use a timer to countdown time to get to work
Have the student answer the questions before starting: What am I doing? What do I need? How can I start?
Make getting started like a race with a countdown
Pretend a set of assignments is like an escape room
Show a model of expected work prior to starting
Keep a reminder card on the student’s desk – “What should I be doing right now?”
Provide visuals with step-by-step directions for getting started
Identify which content areas are most challenging and reduce the difficulty to give momentum
Develop a work contract that highlights what the student should do during work time
Incorporate incentives and rewards for completing difficult tasks (use this free reward list to get some ideas)
Practice problem-solving skills (i.e. “What could you do if you don’t know the answer to a problem?”)
Take turns writing out sentences or problems to get started together
Set up a clean and organized workspace without clutter
Reduce or eliminate distractions
Allow the student to complete every other problem or choose a certain number of problems

• Strategies for Parents to Support Task Initiation at Home •

Here are some activities parents and families can do to at home strengthen skills for task initiation:

Create a schedule for chores and homework time (and make it a routine)
Exercise or play a sport with your child before work time
Create a daily chore checklist
Use a timer to countdown time to get to work
Work in short bursts and then give breaks
Provide incentives after a set of tasks is completed (use this free reward list to get some ideas)
Practice the rocket ship countdown (Say: 5-4-3-2-1 blast off… on “blast off”, get up and get going!)
Do challenging tasks together (i.e. cleaning a bedroom or starting homework)

If you are looking for ways to help your learners strengthen their executive functioning skills, I have units to target executive functioning skills for middle and high school learners and executive functioning skills for younger learners. Spending a little extra time early on can make a world of a difference!

This is a blog series focused on interventions to support executive functioning skills. Make sure you read up on interventions for planning and supports for organization!

15+ Benefits of Social Emotional Learning in the Classroom

January 15, 2019 by pathway2success 1 Comment

Social emotional learning isn’t just a fancy buzzword in education. It’s an approach that integrates critical life skills into the school curriculum to help learners reach their individual potentials. There are huge benefits to teaching social-emotional skills and incorporating them into what educators are already doing.

The research indicates that implementing a social-emotional approach in schools can make a real difference. A meta-analysis of research indicated that students involved in SEL programs made gains socially, emotionally, behaviorally, and academically (Durlak et al., 2011). While more research is needed, one thing is clear: Teaching social and emotional skills pays off.

If you want to teach social emotional learning in your classroom but aren’t sure how, I have created an entire yearlong SEL curriculum. It is composed of five core units, each with several lessons and activities to teach the skills kids and young adults need. There are a number of significant benefits to integrating SEL into the classroom. It’s very much worth the time and effort. Kids do best when they know how, so let’s teach them the skills to get there.

Here are just a few benefits to social emotional learning in the classroom:

Improves school and class climate. Kids and young adults need to feel safe, respected, and supported in order to do their best. Incorporating SEL into your classroom encourages all of those things and more, helping to create a more positive learning community for all.

Increases student motivation. Kids and young adults want to do better when kids feel good about themselves, their teachers, and school. Integrating skills for social emotional learning can help encourage learners to be themselves, feel more accepted, work towards goals, be willing to take risks, and just love learning. More motivation is always a good thing.

Teaches problem-solving skills. Learners need strong problem-solving skills in all areas of life. A huge benefit to social emotional learning is that much of it focuses on managing situations and problems in everyday life. If you get stuck on a math problem, what can you do? If you get in a fight with a friend, how might you handle it? If someone asks you to do something you don’t want to do, what could you say? All of these questions are discussions that might be taking place when SEL is integrated into the classroom.

Reduces behavior problems. So often, behavior problems are the result of skill deficits. In the words of Ross Greene, kids do well when they can. Once we teach skills for problem-solving, working with others, and managing emotions, we are likely to see student behavior improve.

Helps students set and meet goals. A big part of self-management is creating specific and measurable goals for the future. Goal setting is important in all areas of life, whether someone is making a goal to improve their math grade or identifying steps to get their dream job.

Gives a space to talk about mental health. Mental health is extremely important and often not talked about enough. Talking about social emotional learning gives kids and young adults the venue to talk about their feelings, thoughts, and needs. It should be healthy to talk about mental health.

Teaches study skills and habits. Time management, organization, and planning are important skills that need to be developed over time. It’s easy to assume that all learners have these skills automatically, but it’s often not the case. Best of all, these are skills that can be easily taught in harmony with academic curriculum, whether it is math, reading, music, science, or anything else.

Encourages empathy. Empathy is one of the most foundational social skills, and sometimes it is overlooked. Quite often, kids and young adults need to be explicitly taught how to think about the feelings and thoughts of others. Once they can do this, students are much more effective at maintaining relationships, resolving conflicts with peers, and showing kindness to others.

Teaches teamwork and collaboration. In order to be success now and in the future, kids need to learn how to work well with others. Social emotional learning skills help students learn how to work collaboratively with partners and small groups. That includes working with people who aren’t your friends, problem-solving through disagreements, being a good team player, and more. Of course, these are all skills that are critical to success in the classroom, too.

Improves academic performance. Sometimes educators think of SEL skills as completely separated from academics, but that’s actually not true. A number of social-emotional skills actually encourage and allow students to perform better academically. Just a few of those skills include goal setting, planning, staying organized, managing time, problem-solving, cooperating, working in groups, and much more.

Improves self-regulation skills. Being able to managing our own thoughts, feelings, words, and actions is paramount to social and personal success. SEL can help learners understand self-regulation so they can learn to manage their own behaviors in positive ways.

Teaches responsible decision-making. Without a doubt, decision-making is a critical life skill. Learners need to know how to understand choices, think about consequences, consider how choices impact them and others, and ultimately make a positive choice they are proud of. These skills don’t come easily, though! So often, learners have to make tough decisions without “easy” solutions or answers for them. This is why practice in this area is so important, and can truly pay off in the end.

Teaches disagreeing respectfully. Kids and young adults need to learn how to disagree respectfully as a critical social skill. This is an ability they will use in the classroom when working with peers, with friends outside the school walls, online, and more.

Increases personal self-awareness. It is important for learners to have a strong understanding of their own individual strengths and challenges. Self-awareness is having a clear and accurate view of oneself. When students understand themselves, they are better equipped to have a clear vision for the future and make better choices to reach those dreams.

Encourages perseverance and resilience. While these skills are similar, they are different enough to highlight and discuss. Perseverance is the ability to push through challenges, while resilience is being able to get back up after a failure or defeat. Both skills are critical for student success in and outside the classroom.

Improves confidence. All kids should feel good about themselves and who they are as individuals. In many ways, helping kids and young adults to feel more confident can help them become the best versions of themselves.

Improves relationship skills. We all want our learners to have better relationship skills. That includes understanding healthy vs. unhealthy relationships, developing skills to be a good friend, maintaining relationships, conflict resolution, repairing relationships, and more. Not only does it benefit the students in your classroom to get along with each other, but these are also life skills for the future.

Improves attendance. Some research has indicated that kids and young adults in SEL programs actually have improved attendance. This just makes sense; If kids feel more positive about school and have the skills to succeed, they are more likely to be prepared to come each day.

Teaches coping skills. All kids and young adults experience emotional distress from time to time. Managing emotions can be tough, especially if learners don’t have the tools to do it effectively. An important component in social emotional learning programs is teaching kids and young adults how to managing those feelings and cope with them in the best ways.

Creates a feeling of community. A positive school community is critical to help all learners succeed. By building relationships and talking about topics that really matter to kids, they are more likely to bond with each other and educators in the room. This creates a strong sense of community, acceptance, and support.

If you want more strategies for integrating social emotional learning in the classroom, check out this list of over 100 free SEL resources and ideas!

Helping Kids with Feelings of Anxiety & Worry

January 5, 2019 by pathway2success Leave a Comment

All educators, at one time or another, are likely to work with kids and young adults who struggle with anxiety. Sometimes we know about those challenges, and other times, we don’t. As a special educator, I have spent countless hours helping students work through their worries about homework, family situations, fights with friends, high-stakes testing, body issues, long-term projects, the changing of a schedule, getting to school, and so much more. Sometimes the worries can be small and easy to manage, and other times they can be pervasive and impact a student’s entire life.

Worrying itself is a normal emotion. We all worry sometimes. However, when those worries grow or don’t go away, it can be a real issue for kids and young adults. According to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), over 4 million children aged 3-17 have been diagnosed with anxiety. Many more are likely struggling with anxiety that aren’t diagnosed. Quite often, anxiety can be an invisible disability, meaning we don’t “see” it at first glance. The same is true for kids struggling with severe worries who may not meet the clinical criteria for anxiety.

The fact is that all educators, at one time or another, will be working with learners struggling with worries and challenging emotions. As educators, we have to be prepared to help these learners cope with their worries so they can be successful in and out of the classroom. Here are a few ways to help those students:

Recognize worries don’t always look like worrying. In order to help our learners struggling with feelings of anxiety and worry, we have to understand them more. Anxiety and worries don’t always even appear as worries. This is a common misconception about anxiety that can be confusing. Sometimes, learners might exhibit defiant behavior, aggression, a lack of focus or stomachaches and pains. Other times, students might try to control situations or have extremely high expectations for themselves with their school work. When challenging behaviors occur, it’s helpful to consider what emotions are actually behind them. Note that the visual below isn’t intended to diagnose anyone, just to show that feelings of worry and anxiety can manifest themselves in many different ways.

Teach coping strategies. Coping strategies, or coping skills, are the abilities and activities we use to help us manage our tough emotions on the spot. Simply put, everyone needs these strategies. If you find that a student doesn’t cope well with their emotions, spend time practicing and teaching these skills explicitly. It’s important to note that all people are different; some students will calm down best by coloring or drawing, while others might need to get up and take a walk. It’s helpful to try many different strategies when the student is already calm so that they can actually use the skills when they are emotionally overwhelmed. If you aren’t sure how to teach coping skills, I’ve created this Coping Strategies Lessons & Activities set to help you get started.

Educate yourself. It’s healthy to admit you don’t know everything about a topic. If you’re unsure what anxiety is, take some time to research. It’s important to know the facts and see anxiety as a real mental health issue. There are many websites that give overviews and explanations, including the Child Mind Institute and the Anxiety and Depression Association of America.

Practice mindfulness. Mindfulness activities are something that benefit all kids and young adults (they even benefit adults, too). Spend some time practicing mindfulness with your learners before times that are high-stress, such as before a big test, after lunch, or just in the morning to start of the day in a calm way. Here are 10 mindfulness activities you can try today.

Use distraction. Sometimes, as educators, we have to do what works in the moment. That was actually a motto we used in my classroom: Do what works. When a student is struggling with worries in the moment, sometimes distraction can get them through. Talk about your student’s favorite game, sport, animal, or anything else. I was known for talking about my dog and sharing a silly story about him. Of course, this doesn’t fix the problem behind the worry, but it can be enough to help your student move past their immediate negative feelings in the moment.

Teach breathing techniques. Sometimes these seem silly at first, but they can make a big difference. By teaching kids and young adults to focus on their breathing, they can calm themselves down more quickly when overwhelmed. When you are focusing only on your breathing, you are also no longer thinking about the worry. I love this free breathe board you can tape to a student’s desk or put in their binder. It’s a great reminder to “just breathe!”

Encourage progress, not perfection. Kids and young adults are constantly under a lot of pressure to be perfect, both in and out of school. The truth that we know is that perfect doesn’t exist. Encourage learners to see their progress and feel proud when they try their best, even if things don’t always come out “perfect.”

Teach positive self-talk. Self-talk is the inner voice we use to reassure and encourage ourselves to accomplish tasks. A positive voice can make a huge difference in helping kids and young adults feel more confident in themselves. You can start by having students choose positive self-talk statements to say to themselves or write out using this free list. Read up more about how to teach positive self-talk and why positive self-talk is so important.

Prepare instead of avoiding. By completely avoiding activities that make kids feel worried, we can make it harder for them over time. Kids and young adults need to face their worries in a structured and supportive way. If a learner feels extremely worried during tests, it won’t fix the problem to avoid tests all together. Instead, discuss the child’s feelings, validate their concerns, help them develop strategies, and prepare them for the tests ahead of time. The same is true for kids who are school-avoidant. Rather than keeping them out of school for longer, help them develop skills and come up with strategies to easier their concerns about school so they can be successful. Start small if you need to and work towards the ultimate goal of the student feeling comfortable on their own.

Allow calm down time. Kids and young adults can feel overwhelmed with emotions in the moment. Allow students the time and space to use their coping strategies when needed. Consider creating a calm down area in your classroom where learners can use strategies to help them regain their calm.

Encouraging journaling. Writing our thoughts out can be an extremely helpful way to make sense of things. For kids and young adults with lots of worries, sometimes their brains have too many thoughts going on at once. By writing these thoughts out, learners sometimes can recognize the true issues and identify steps for what they can do to help. Journaling about other topics can be helpful, too. Have students write about their favorite activities, 5 things they love, what they are grateful for, or a pet they love.

Collaborate with support professionals. It’s always best when all team members are working on the same skills in a cohesive way. Talk with the school counselor, school psychologist, and/or social worker and discuss best strategies for your learner in the classroom to help them manage their worries. These are definitely the experts in this realm and their knowledge is extremely valuable! If your student is seeing an outside therapist, consider getting consent from parents to talk with them, as well. A team approach always is the best option, especially for kids struggling with worries that can impact all areas of their life.

Listen. Whether or not the worries or fears are a big deal for us as adults, they are very real to our learners. With that, it’s extremely important we hear our students out when they are worried. Listen and try to understand first. Sometimes we have to know the whole story before we can even start the problem-solving practice. Once you hear your student out, you might say something like, “I can tell you’re worried about that. I’m here for you. We’re going to come up with some strategies and we’ll get through it.”

Talk it out. Help students make sense of their feelings by talking situations out with them. Sometimes, worries are just based on wrong information or assumptions that don’t make sense. Talking the worries out can help your learner recognize those inconsistencies.

Identify problem-solving actions. Worrying is the worst when you feel you have no control over the situation. With this, it’s helpful to give the student something they CAN do. For example, if a student is worried about an upcoming schedule change, help them identify what they could do going forward. Perhaps they can have a new schedule printed or talk with the new teacher they are going to have before they go in the class. Ask questions like, “So what might your next steps be?” and “What strategies can you use to help you deal with that?” With time, this can help turn your student into a problem-solver, skills they can assuredly use on their own throughout their entire life.

Be structured, but flexible. All kids need rules and expectations, of course. Still, there may be times when it’s important to give a little to help your learner move in the right direction. Be open-minded about solutions to help students make progress.

Take baby steps. If a student is really worried about something, it’s often helpful to start small and get the momentum going. Making some progress is always better than none. If a learner has extreme fear about presenting in front of the class, consider if they could start by presenting in front of just a teacher. If that goes okay, consider doing a small group next time. Starting small can help work towards success.

Teach problem-solving skills. Being able to solve problem is a life skill that can help learners cope with all sorts of challenges. During break time or morning meeting, spend time teaching these skills. One way you can start is introducing problem-solving scenarios. Have students discuss the scenario and consider what they could do to solve the problem. For example, you might say: “You get to school and realized you forgot your project. What could you do?” Students can discuss and develop skills to help them problem-solve and deal with the dilemma, rather than just feeling anxious and worried. I love this set of problem-solving task cards for younger students and this problem-solving set for older kids.

Have learners reflect on progress. At the end of a day, have your student identify what went well, what strategies they used, and what they are proud of themselves for. Allow students to reflect and build on the positive to help them recognize they can overcome their challenges.

Remember that change takes time. Just like with any challenges, kids struggling to manage their worries need time. Keep believing in them, supporting them, and guiding them. With time and effort, you will see your learners grow.

Interventions for Executive Functioning Challenges: Organization

December 16, 2018 by pathway2success 1 Comment

As kids get older, organization becomes ever more important! While it is a critical skill for all ages, kids and young adults are often just learning to develop and strengthen their skills as more responsibilities are added on in their lives. When you think about it, kids and young adults can have a lot to juggle between school, homework, friends, family, and activities. This often means that the level of organization skills can make the difference between things running smoothly and just chaos! Simply put, strong organizational skills set the stage for success for all learners.

What is organization? Organization is an efficient and orderly approach to tasks and keeping materials in order. Skills for organization are greatly related to the ability to plan, as one must have a plan for exactly how to organize! One of the key elements in learning organization is to have a place for everything ahead of time. This includes having binders or folders for each class in a notebook, having a hamper to put dirty clothes, and everything in between. Setting up systems for organization can lead to huge improvements, such as having a specific strategy for organizing binders or cleaning a room. It’s important to note, though, that organization takes real work even after systems have been set up! Learners must constantly re-organize and re-evaluate their systems for organization in order to stay neat and tidy in home, school, and beyond.

• Examples of Organization •

Organization is a critical skill, as it often flows over into all areas of an individual’s life. Just a few examples of what organization looks like includes:

Keeping a neat and orderly room.
Writing an essay with a clear beginning, middle, and end.
Bringing required materials, such as pencils, to class.
Having neat and tidy binders.
Developing an organized approach to completing a project.

• Possible Signs of Challenges with Organization •

Identifying challenges with executive functioning skills can make a huge difference for kids and young adults. We all have organization ups and downs, but if some of these behaviors occur on a more regular basis, it should be an indicator to consider extra interventions and supports.

Possible signs of challenges with organization include:

Forgetting to bring required materials, such as a pencil or correct binder, to class.
Misplacing or losing class assignments.
Putting class papers in a binder randomly without a sense of order.
Having a messy desk or set of binders.
Difficulty transitioning from one class to another.

• Interventions, Supports, and Strategies for Organization •

As a positive, organizational skills can certainly be improved and strengthened over time. Here are some activities, tasks, and ideas to help with organization needs in the classroom:

Teach organization and other EF skills explicitly.
Teach how to organize a binder and where materials go.
Schedule an organization boot camp time, focused just on organization skills.
Practice cleaning up and re-organizing as you work through a task.
Provide a visual reminder for what students need before they enter the classroom.
Set students up with a specialized homework folder or binder. Use this free homework binder to start.
Have students keep an assignment calendar or homework log to track daily and long-term work.
Consider apps for organization, like Trello or myHomework.
Write homework in the same exact spot every day.
Color code books and binders to match (i.e. blue for science and red for math).
Keep extra papers in a designated spot for students who are absent or lose them.
Keep a model notebook in a spot for students to review, as needed.
Clearly labels materials in the classroom.
Dedicate the last 3 minutes of every class to getting organized.
Keep a “classroom office” stocked with extra pens, pencils, and paper for students who forget them.
Use graphic organizers for writing assignments.
Use an end-of-the-day reminder sheet to help students think about what materials they need. Use this free reminder checklist to start.
Schedule a weekly 10-minute binder organization time.
Discuss how to organize different areas and where items should be put away. Start with this free organization activity.
Highlight positive examples of organization in the classroom.

• Strategies for Parents to Support Organization at Home •

Parents can play a huge role in supporting executive functioning skills at home. Since executive functioning skills impact all areas on a person’s life, it’s helpful for learners to practice these skills in different environments. Here are some activities parents and families can do to at home strengthen skills for organization:

Create daily and weekly chore charts with organization and cleaning tasks.
Reinforce cleaning up and putting materials away after completing a task.
Create checklists for cleaning and organizing materials.
Try to have a place for everything.
Avoid piles and put things away right away together.
Openly discuss plans and schedules for the week or weekend.
Use a calendar to keep track of home or school events.
Plan a weekly organization and cleanup time.
Play “Where Does This Go?”. Gather materials and have the child put them back in the right spot.
Create a designated spot just for homework with office materials, as needed.
Make organizing more fun by listening to music while you clean together.
Make it a game by gathering 10+ items and time the child returning them to their correct spots.
Use a morning or afternoon checklist to remind the child of their responsibilities before/after school.

Do your learners struggle with organization quite a bit? If so, you can get started by teaching executive functioning skills explicitly right away with some units I’ve developed. I have units to target executive functioning skills for middle and high school learners and executive functioning skills for younger learners. Spending a little extra time early on can make a world of a difference!

Also, this post is part of a blog series focused just on interventions for executive functioning skills! You can also read up on interventions to help with planning.

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