Smart but Scattered: The Revolutionary "Executive Skills" Approach to Helping Kids Reach Their Potential
Peg Dawson, Richard Guare
Language: English
Pages: 314
ISBN: 1593854455
Format: PDF / Kindle (mobi) / ePub
The latest research in child development shows that many kids who have the brain and heart to succeed lack or lag behind in crucial “executive skills”--the fundamental habits of mind required for getting organized, staying focused, and controlling impulses and emotions. Learn easy-to-follow steps to identify your child’s strengths and weaknesses, use activities and techniques proven to boost specific skills, and problem-solve daily routines. Small changes can add up to big improvements--this empowering book shows how.
themselves in common developmental tasks, and how you and the environment can contribute to the development of strong executive skills. Different scientists and clinicians have categorized and labeled executive skills in various ways, but all of us in this field agree that these are the cognitive processes required to (1) plan and direct activities, including getting started and seeing them through, and (2) regulate behavior—to inhibit impulses, make good choices, change tactics when what you’re
executive skill profile, children will try to take control of the situation, either by escaping or avoiding it. In the scenarios described earlier, Carmen and Roger responded by trying to avoid the situation. A child with Asperger syndrome who is inflexible and has trouble handling casual conversations reshapes the situation to match his skills by dominating the conversation with talk 68 WHAT MAKES YOUR CHILD SMART BUT SCATTERED of his own interests. Even kids without Asperger syndrome* who
what it is, exactly, you’re going to teach. Teaching someone not to be a slob sounds like a thankless, if not impossible, task. Teaching a child to keep his personal belongings off the living room floor is a more achievable goal. Which brings us to the next step in the instructional sequence. Step 2: Set a Goal The goal, very often, is a positive restatement of the problem behavior. A goal says what the child is expected to do using terms that describe behaviors that can be seen or heard. Using
the meaning of the word aardvark and what language it comes from. And if that hasn’t grabbed your interest, I will also tell you why the aardvark has a sticky tongue—although you may not want to know this! Children with writing problems will have trouble writing the opening paragraph by themselves and may need your help. You may be able to help by asking general questions, such as “What do you want people to know after they read your paper?” or “Why do you think people might be interested in
he or she qualifies for special education services or a 504 Plan (discussed in Chapter 23). 4. Add an incentive system—rewards for good grades on tests. MENU OF STUDY STRATEGIES Check off the ones you will use. 1. Reread text 2. Reread/organize notes 3. Read/recite main points 4. Outline text 5. Highlight text 6. Highlight notes 7. Use study guide 8. Make concept maps 9. Make lists/ organize 10. Take practice test 11. Quiz myself 12. Have someone else quiz me 13. Study flash cards