In light of the mass amount of misinformation about ADHD, particularly regarding medication, I thought it was time to do a re-release of this past episode. *Disclaimer, although I have “Dr.” in front of my name, I’m not an MD and do not have the credentials to prescribe medication. This episode is meant for general…
Category: ADHD
EP 210: Goals and Accommodations for Executive Functioning
In this episode, we dive into the often-overlooked art of writing clear, measurable goals for executive functioning. Unlike other academic or functional goals, executive functioning focuses on internal processes—making it harder to quantify and observe. Whether you’re a teacher, therapist, or part of a school team, this episode will give you actionable tools to create…
EP 207: Failure to launch, screen addiction, and preparing kids for life after high school (with Michael McLeod)
Many young adults enter their post-high school years without the executive functioning skills needed to thrive. This is often because the people supporting them underestimate the amount of support they’re getting, and there’s no plan in place to fade that prompting. When young adults enter college, they have to manage sleep hygiene, long-term projects, and…
EP 203: Frontloading, explicit instruction, and providing the “right” amount of support
In this episode, I’m answering FAQs from the School of Clinical Leadership members about supporting students’ executive functioning. I answer the following questions: What is frontloading, and why is it useful for students experiencing executive dysfunction and anxiety? When is it best to use structured, explicit instruction, and when is it best to let students…
EP 197: Scaffolding, fading prompts, and the importance of parent and teacher coaching (with Rebecca Robbins)
“Scaffolding” has become a buzzword when it comes to helping kids become more independent with academic and functional tasks, but it’s only useful if people know what it means. Watching students or your own children struggle to transition or complete daily tasks can be uncomfortable for both the adults and children. As a result, it…
EP 192: Building confidence, positive self-talk, and strategic planning skills for writing (with Dr. Nelly Kaakaty)
The writing process comes with internal resistance, even for strong writers. Most people who say they enjoy writing don’t enjoy the entire process; particularly the “getting started” part. This is why writing is a common challenge when executive functioning is impacted. Layer on issues with background knowledge, language, and decoding, and it becomes even more…
EP 189: Reframing the purpose of social narratives, video modeling, and social skills lesson plans
Many people treat social skills groups as if they’re the complete package, when in fact they’re just one part of a bigger service plan. When we “lesson plan” we can’t think of our intervention as something that starts and ends with a 20-minute therapy session. Instead, we should think of it as a “planning” or…
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 159: Comorbidities and Differential Diagnosis (ADHD, DLD, Dyslexia)
When kids need support with language, reading/writing, and executive functioning, they often have multiple diagnoses. This makes both treatment planning, diagnosis, and determining eligibility for educational programming complicated; especially when it comes to legal guidelines as well as state and local policies. That’s why in episode 159 of De Facto Leaders, I’m sharing a Q…
EP 137: Why aren’t my students generalizing? (social skills groups, organizing tools)
Social skills groups have been widely criticized recently. They’re often labeled as ableist and NOT neurodiversity-affirming. I ALSO take issue with the way social skills interventions are often delivered, but for a different reason. When social skills intervention is done, it’s often delivered via 1:1 therapy, in a “pull-out” model; where the child receives intervention…