Im Ready for College but Cant Find My

I’m Ready for College but Can’t Find My Backpack! Executive functioning strategies for young adults with Asperger’s Syndrome and other Learning Differences College Internship Program Amherst Center 2014

Do you have Executive Functioning skills? • How do you get to work or school everyday on time? • How do you fit chores (cleaning, laundry, shopping) into your weekly schedule? • You have a presentation due next Friday at work/school. How will you manage to complete this? • Another vehicle cuts you off in traffic, and you have a child in your car. What keeps you from swearing and/or using impolite gestures?

How are Executive Functioning (EF) skills assessed? 1. Formal assessments • Ex. the Behavioral Rating Inventory of Executive Function, or BRIEF (Gioia, Isquith, Retzlaff, and Espy, 2002), for ages 12 and up • Another example is the Meta. COG, or Metacognitive Awareness System for students from 9 -18 • Both assessments use a series of rating scales

How are Executive Functioning (EF) skills assessed? 2. Or…Informal assessments • Example: Executive Skills Semi-Structured Interview; Teacher Version, Parent Version & Student Version • From Dawson & Guare (2010) Executive Skills in Children and Adolescents: A Practical Guide to Assessment and Intervention, Guilford Press The adult assessment is adapted from Dawson & Guare, Student Version • Items are chunked in sets of three according to the EF skill being assessed

Assessment scoring tips • Each group of three items is tallied separately • The three areas with the highest numerical score indicate areas of strength • The three areas with the lowest numerical scores indicate areas of weakness

Self Actualization Self Realization Self Determination Self Analysis Self Awareness Long Term Planning Goal Generation Self Control/Self Regulation Perceive Modulate Interrupt/Stop Hold Generate Organize Choose Sequence Execute Monitor/Check Focus Inhibit Manipulate Associate Plan Pace Sustain Store Balance Estimate Time Initiate Gauge Flexible Anticipate Analyze Retrieve Sense Time Correct Shift Awaken and Attend Adapted from Mc. Closkey, George, 2009. Assessment and Intervention for Executive Functioning Difficulties.

Prefrontal Cortex • Has been called the CEO of the brain • Many connections to other parts of the brain • Responsible for all cognitive functioning and processing

Prefrontal Cortex • Last component to develop and mature in the individual • With neurotypicals, maturation is by age 25, later with LD • Explanation for unpredictable teen behavior—why insurance rates go down at age 25

Executive Functioning Continues to Develop Well into Adulthood • Affected by physical changes in the brain • Affected by life experiences • Direct instruction, explicit feedback essential

Executive Function Difficulties Can lead to: • Difficulty predicting what will happen next (creates anxiety and transition problems) • Inflexibility / getting stuck / needing to preserve sameness • Difficulty attending / concentrating • Impulsivity (blurting out) • Difficulty with working memory so that it is available when needed Diane Twatchman-Cullen, Ph. D. , CCC-SLP

Executive Function Difficulties Can lead to: • Difficulty managing and allocating time (especially with respect to long-term assignments; homework) • Difficulty keeping track of belongings / materials; forgetting things • Difficulty with multi-step or complex tasks • Disorganization • Difficulty working in groups • Difficulty with planning Diane Twatchman-Cullen, Ph. D. , CCC-SLP

Executive Functioning Impacts All Areas of Development and Life • Academic • Money management • Intrapersonal • Interpersonal • Health and fitness • Occupational

Interventions for Building Executive Functioning Skills

Managing Time • Segment large tasks into chunks • Use calendars / day planners to keep track of long term assignments, due dates, deadlines • Reminders on computers and smart phones (Blackberry / IPhone) • Organize-daily, weekly, monthly • Use checklists, to do lists • Time estimation worksheet

Managing Space and Material • Create a dedicated work space • Organize work space – Color coded bins – Sections in backpack • Minimize clutter • Schedule cleaning and organizing at least once per week • Employ master notebook system – Accordion file or 3 ring file w/ sections

Academic Interventions • Master notebook • Accommodations • Study and performance strategies: SQ 3 R, note taking skills, tutorial support • Mnemonics and flash cards • Tape recorded lectures • Livescribe smart pen • Audio books, Kindle, Nook, E-readers

Residential Interventions • EF checklists posted on bedroom doors • Photos of what an acceptably clean kitchen or bedroom looks like posted in apartment • Photos of what properly groomed student looks like posted in apartment

Label Drawers & Closets

Ripple Effect One minor executive functioning mishap can cause problems in other life areas. Academic Physical Health Relationships Confidence Occupational Emotional/Mental Health Money Management

Ripple Effect One small change makes a big difference. Academic Physical Health Relationship s Confidence Occupational Emotional/Mental Health Money Management

Routines and Habits Improve Executive Functioning

The importance of habit in our daily lives is not a new idea. “It is well to be up before daybreak, for such habits contribute to health, wealth, and wisdom. ” Aristotle The use of habits to solve problems is not a complicated idea. It is simple. Simple, yet powerful.

Habits can be used to solve many kinds of problems Basic Problems Complex Problems

Even to help save lives “Don’t stop in the middle. ” http: //news. discovery. com/adventure/everything-you-need-to-know-about -ice-climbing-gear. htm

Routines and habits work by: • Helping to remember “little things” consistently. • Helping to do the things that seem difficult to do, that get procrastinated, that are mundane/boring, yet important. The decision has been removed from the process. “I should do my homework…but I don’t want to…but I should…but I’m tired…need a break…”

Routines and habits work by: • Helping to increase efficiency, productivity, and save time. • Increase time awareness and management. Time becomes more predictable, ability to estimate how long tasks take improves. • As routines become habits, tasks take less energy/effort, thus conserving it for other life areas. This includes “down time, ” recreation, socialization, and leisure; all very important for health and quality of life.

How to build habits They can learn this important skill – for lifelong use. They will be more invested and motivated to do it. Involve the person They have knowledge and perspective about their lives no one else does. It’s better to have an “imperfect” routine that is applied than a “perfect” one that is ignored.

Start small. .

…and build over time. “Chunk” previously established routines. “Piggy-back” a new behavior onto an already established habit.

Write Hang it down it up. Maybe in more than one place

Support • Walk through at first, if needed. • Then monitor and problem-solve. Rehearse • The more you do it, the better you get. • This is how it becomes automatic. Don’t change • Do the routine in the same order every time. • Each step will cue the next.

Maintaining a Habit What are your expectations? Keep at it. How long does it take to build a habit? Different opinions have been offered, but how does that research apply to this very specific population? Old habits can re-surface. New habits don’t really “replace” old habits. They can re-surface, especially during times of stress.

Michael P. Mc. Manmon, Ed. D. Foreword by Stephen M. Shore, Ed. D Made for Good Purpose What Every Parent Needs to Know to Help Their Adolescent with Asperger’s, High Functioning Autism or a Learning Difference Become a Independent Adult

Presenter: Judy Gerich jgerich@cipamherst. org 716 -839 -2620, x 14