Executive functioning in action

Summer was delightful.  Now it's time to start the new school year.  This year, I tried something different - I prepared something for the new teacher.  Great transition tool - she loved it; she shared it with another teacher; and the Special Ed teachers plan to use it with other children. 

For every gain that we make either in learning new words, getting comfortable with new and different groups, there will often be something that you couldn't anticipate.  That's the nature of PDD-NOS (it's a pervasive disorder so it could manifest anywhere at any time).  For us, the transition to the new class was good - some students we new from last year and the year before.  The desks, chairs, and classroom routines are pretty much the same.  So what's different, you ask?  The executive functioning deficits become apparent in little things like packing the right tools and resources to complete the homework.

Executive functioning (EF) capabilities are the  skills to manage yourself and your activities.  EF includes organizational skills, managing time & routine, and organizing work/task steps.

Writing down the homework is easy - teacher says it out loud; you write it down.  The children may be left on their own to remember/realize that worksheets related to the homework are to be packed in the book bag.    We are recording the homework on a sheet of paper - helpful.

At the pre-school level, they put everything in the folder for you.  In kindergarten, they put the stuff in the folders for you.  First grade, they give you a special book to record homework and they have a method for getting things into your folder to go home.  So far, in 2nd grade, it appears they expect the students to develop independence and responsibility for doing these things....not working if the underlying capacity to do that is part of your ASD diagnosis.

She was so proud that she had written down the homework.  I was relieved.  Along with the pride though, came her distress when she realized that the reading journal for my signature had been forgotten.  That was my second day of school, high point and low point in one swoop! 

Transitioning to a new grade is more than getting comfortable with the teacher - it also involves getting familiar with the routines AND understanding the unspoken expectations associated with the new grade.  

Do I call another parent or child every day to confirm that we have the right homework?  How do I support her organization skills deficit from my office 20 miles away when school is letting out in the early afternoon?  Do I expect the teacher to remind her daily what she should take home?   

Partnering with the SpEd staff will allow us to determine the most effective method to compensate for those EF skill deficits. We can never plan for everything but we do have a sense of how to plan and what data we must use to make an effective plan.  Those are the hidden skills of transitioning to a new grade - the executive functioning skills - that we sometimes take for granted with normally developing children.  

Knowing words, being able to answer questions, ask questions are all critical aspects of speech & language development.    Knowing how to get organized is a hidden skill that, if left unchecked, can undermine the ability to access the curriculum and perform well in the new classroom environment.

Each transition brings new triumphs, challenges, and insights.  This year, so far, it's how to develop 2nd grade organization skills.  Executive functioning in action means not only recording the homework, but also taking the appropriate resources home to complete the assignment.  

How I spent my summer...

Can I just say that this summer was a BLAST!!!  We did camp at the university, an exceptional program with academics three days a week, lots of field trips and an opportunity to develop/practice social skills with other children and counselors.  She loved the experience.  I think she believes the university is her other school. 

Remember when you had to write the dreaded "How I spent my summer" essay?  Well here's how we spent ours.  First, we made time/found time to review the entire math curriculum - speed addition and subtraction twice a week (3 minutes for each).  It really is not as difficult as it sounds.  Once I figured out what I wanted to work on for the summer, I simply located the resources, made my tracking sheet and kept a log of what we did.  Next, and I think this is a pretty novel idea, we added field trips that were tied to the math, science, or social studies content.  There's so much we can really do to complement our children's learning & development - I wish they would have given me a handbook.  I believe that parents who want to do more would probably do more if they only knew what to do.

I'm figuring it out and creating new things as I go.  My most successful creations for this summer were - field trips that supported science and social studies; introductions to science experiments; and the speed math.  In fact, the speed math was not my idea - I saw a camp counselor doing it with the rising 1st graders.  They were reducing the time each week - started at 2 minutes and working their way back.  WOW!!!

Summer is a time for fun -  It's painful to watch adults who suspended learning early in life and now are struggling to find job alternatives.  The facts we learn in science come to life in the museum, when we take a walk, even on the animal channels.

Childhood is about memories...for us, this summer was about creating memories that we could enjoy as fun and draw from as we advance to a new grade.  So how did I spend my summer?  Reacquainting myself with 1st grade science and social studies and finding real world activities and experiences that made the content and the skills (map reading, understanding diagrams etc.) meaningful.

Along the way, we played with Legos, learned about constructing a building, looked at the weater, were amazed by animals at the museum and enthralled by the first flag as we listened to the Star Spangled Banner at the museum.  I know how I spent my summer.  How about you?  Your turn to write "How I spent my summer......."