Today, I wanted to share some FAQs that people ask about how to teach executive functioning. Some of those common questions are: How do you teach self-talk, time-perception, and strategic-planning? How do you offer help without making kids prompt-dependent?I understand that executive functioning intervention is more than just checklists and behavior charts, but what’s the…
Author: kldudek1980
EP 168: What do administrators need from school therapists and teachers? (featuring Eric Makelky, Jalita Johnson, and Jethro Jones)
Almost every school leader that I know has said they didn’t realize what they were getting themselves into when they started their first administrative position. In this episode, I wanted to share clips from past “De Facto Leaders” guests to showcase some of the challenges faced by school administrators (or those hoping to move into…
EP 167: A framework for executive functioning intervention: Three shifts for school teams
As a professional field, we’re getting stuck in old ways of thinking when it comes to designing services for students experiencing executive dysfunction. When we think of “therapy” the first thing that comes to mind is a clinician sitting in a chair saying things like, “And how does that make you feel?” or a clinician…
EP 166: The role of syntax in supporting language processing and executive functioning
Language and executive functioning have a bidirectional relationship (Baron & Arbel, 2022; Larson, et al., 2019). This means that building language skills can impact executive functioning, and vice versa. A significant amount of executive functioning skills are required to comprehend language-based academic tasks like reading and writing. Yet strategic thinking (which is part of executive…
EP 165: Turning litigious situations into reading reform initiatives (with Mary Saghafi and Shannon Betts)
Teacher preparation programs should equip reading teachers with the knowledge they need to provide explicit intervention for students who have dyslexia or other disabilities. But what if they don’t? Unfortunately, this situation is quite common. That’s why I invited Mary Saghafi and Shannon Betts from the Reading Teachers’ Lounge Podcast to episode 165 of the…
EP 164: The content + strategy + retrieval trifecta for language and executive functioning (with Katy Wyatt)
Is it functional to work on parts of speech? Is sentence diagramming useful? How do we improve word-retrieval in kids with developmental disabilities, and is it similar to what we’d do for an adult with a brain injury? How can we make therapy academically relevant and functional beyond just getting a good score on a…
EP 163: Experiential learning and cultivating a passion for the outdoors (with Greg Morrissey)
Preparing young people for adulthood is all about providing them with the right blend of experiences; both in and outside of school. Building literacy, numeracy, and content knowledge will give students a foundation for success; but we need to pair that with real-world experiences where they can apply that knowledge in real time. When we…
EP 162: The summer slide: Real phenomenon or invented by tutoring companies? (with David Schipper)
My heart sinks when I see how polarizing topics in education have become, as well as the tendency for people to have “all or nothing” thinking. I’ve seen an increasing amount of activities pitted against each other as if doing one means we can’t ALSO do the other: 👉Standardized testing vs. real-world observations/stakeholder interviews. 👉Year-round…
EP 161: Why aren’t they participating? Rethinking family engagement in special education (with Dr. Kristin Vogel-Campbell)
Helping families feel involved in their children’s education goes beyond checking the boxes to make sure you’re following legal guidelines. That’s why I invited Dr. Kristin Vogel-Campbell to De Facto Leaders to talk about how school teams can make the IEP process more welcoming to families, especially those from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. Dr….
BONUS: The Authority: Executive Functions for Every Classroom with Mitch Weathers
As a bonus episode today, we’re publishing a conversation from The Authority Podcast with guest Mitch Weathers, about his book Executive Functions for Every Classroom: Creating Safe and Predictable Learning Environments Grades 3-12. You’ll hear about the following and more: You can listen to the entire conversation here: About The Authority Podcast: Hosted by leadership…