Parents are often at a loss on how to work with the kids at home on executive functioning skills. Executive fuctioning skills help you get things done. They are essential for controlling behavior and achieving goals. Here are 5 ways parents can work with their children at home:

1. Visual checklists

Children with executive functioning deficits often have challenges in independently following through with steps to complete a process. Too often, parents and teachers become student’s executive function manager, constantly telling them what to do and when to do it. This can inadvertently make children too dependent on the adult. Visual checklists are great tools as they clearly outline expectations on what needs to be done and children learn to rely on it, rather than on directions from an adult. And eventually, with consistent practice and use, the visual checklist can be faded. And what’s best, they’re simple to make and with pictures, can even work for children who aren’t yet reading.

2. Timers

Executive functioning is not only about being able to think about a task and form a plan, but it’s also about being able to do so quickly. And we find this can often be the real kicker for a lot of the children. Use of a timer by itself, often along with a visual checklist, can be an excellent method. Set a time expectation, slightly above where the child is currently at, and systematically increase the expectation over time with success. Parents can use this during home routines and for independent work.

3. Positive reinforcement

A buzzword that is frequently tossed around, but in the field of Applied Behavior Analysis, positive reinforcement has a very specific definition and many complex considerations. Essentially though, it is why we do what we do and it is a powerful teaching tool that we use every day, even when we don’t know it. Examples of its use to improve executive functioning: praising your child for coming up with their own plan or solution to a problem, giving a student a thumbs up or a sticker for completing an assignment or explaining how they solved a problem or letting your child play their favorite game or spend time with a friend after they completed their chores that day.

4. Self-monitoring systems

We can’t get enough of the power of these, which ask children to monitor their own behavior. Self-monitoring can take many forms, such as asking a child to rate their behavior during a specific period of the day or the use of their strategies applied during a specific routine, such as homework. These systems encourage children to take an active role in their intervention.  They also help teach what the specific expectations are, which is something we adults often incorrectly assume they know.

5. Teamwork

More often than not, a specific learning or behavior challenge is seen at home and school, even if it looks a little different. Consistency is key, especially with difficulties resulting from executive functioning weaknesses. These challenges can take many forms, such as  problems with organization, memory, planning or speed. If you see your child is struggling with theses types of complications, work together to develop a plan of action, monitor its success with data and modify as needed.

The professionals at Psychedservices.com, offer Pocket Coaching teleconferencing sessions for parents. They’ve helped parents improve their child’s executive function skills using many of the strategies described above. For specific, actionable plans and provide ongoing encouragement and support, go to their website to schedule a call.