Scenarios
Ben and Casey are very best friends sitting next to each other in science class. They're laughing and having a good time, which makes it hard to pay attention to the lesson the teacher is giving. How can you help change their surroundings to reduce distractions? What executive function is this an example of?
What is reducing distraction by asking for a change in seating arrangements?
What is reducing distraction by one of the boys saying to the other they'll talk more after class?
What is sustained attention?
Reducing or eliminating triggers are strategies for what executive function?
What are Emotional control strategies?
The ability to revise plans in the face of obstacles, setbacks, new information, or mistakes.
What is Flexibility?
The teacher gives Tommy and his class an extra homework assignment. This begins to overwhelm Tommy because he doesn't understand the instructions and doesn't think he'll be able to finish it by its due date. But, by walking through the assignment and thinking things through out loud, he was able to understand the instructions. He became more comfortable with the change and was able to complete the homework by its due date. What executive function did Tommy use to help him change his mindset?
What is Flexibility?
Amanda got to swim practice after school and realized she forgot her swim bag at home. She called her mom because had nothing to change in to and is late to the warm-up exercises with her team after her mom drops it off for her. What can Amanda do to make sure this doesn't happen again? What executive function is this an example of?
What is making a to-do list of items you need to leave the house with?
What is leaving the swim bag somewhere close to the door for you to remember when you leave?
What is working memory?
Reducing distractions or limiting the length of a task are strategies for what executive function?
What are Sustained attention strategies?
The ability to create a roadmap to reach a goal or to complete a task.
What is Planning?
It's the end of the day and Kyle is now getting to enjoy some ice cream. He scoops himself out a bowl. After he's finished with his first bowl, he decides to have two more scoops. But then he waits and stops to see if he is still hungry for more. Turns out, he wasn't hungry for any more ice cream, so he put it away. What executive function is this an example of?
What is response inhibition?
Charlie was in line at lunch when he realized that they were serving pizza, his favorite food. When it came to Charlie's turn, they only had one slice left. As he was going to grab the last slice, another kid cut right in front of him and he wasn't able to get the pizza he had been waiting for. He starts to get very frustrated and upset with this other kid. What can Charlie do to stay calm and not get upset? What executive functions could he use?
What is stop and box breathe?
What is recognizing the situation and your early signs of being upset?
What is emotional control?
Agendas, Books, Calendars, and To-do lists are all strategies of what executive function?
What are Working memory strategies?
The capacity to estimate how much time one has, how to allocate it, and how to stay within time limits and deadlines.
What is Time management?
David has been procrastinating a class project for quite some time now. He doesn't want to do it and doesn't know where to start. But, by setting a time in the week leading up to the project's due date and walking through the first step to build some momentum, David was able to complete the project sooner than he thought. What executive function is this an example of?
What is task initiation?
Tony has been playing on the Ipad for the last hour. His mom refers back to a schedule they had made which said that he now had chores to do. What would make it easier to attend to the task of completing the chore? What executive function would this be an example of?
What is establishing a reward that you'll receive after you've completed the chore?
What is....
- time management
- goal-directed persistence
Making steps more explicit and "normalizing" errors are all strategies for what executive function?
What are Flexibility strategies?
The ability to manage emotions in order to achieve goals, complete tasks, or control and direct behavior.
What is Emotional control?
Ellie was wanting to surprise her mom with breakfast on Saturday. But she doesn't know where to start so she starts asking herself questions like "What do I need?" and "What should I do first?". She realized she needed to find out her mom's favorite cereal and then how to make it. This was helpful in narrowing down the first step of what she needed to do in preparation for her surprise breakfast. What executive function did Ellie use?
What is planning/prioritization?
Carla has a very busy schedule. Between her, her husband, and three kids, she feels like she is being pulled in several directions and could forget something. In attempt to prevent this, what could Carla do to help her remember? What executive function could this be?
What is staying organized by having a system in place to where you won't forget things?
What is organization?
Walking through the first step as a means of building behavioral momentum and establishing a set time to do non-preferred tasks are examples of strategies for what executive function?
What are Task initiation strategies?
The capacity to maintain attention to a situation or task in spite of distractibility, fatigue, or boredom.
What is Sustained attention?
Joe had a math lesson to complete that was suppose to take an hour. Halfway through, at the 30 minute mark, he realized he had only completed 10 of the 30 questions. With 30 minutes left he knew he had to complete 20 more. He decided on a reward he would get at the end of the lesson and worked hard to complete the remaining 20 in 30 minutes. Which executive function(s) did Joe use to complete the task?
What is....
- Planning/prioritization
- Time management
- Goal-directed persistence
- Sustained attention