Executive Function Strategy Sessions
For Middle and High School Students
For Middle and High School Students
Tools and Techniques to Boost Your Child’s Productivity, Independence, and Self-Regulation
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Summer, 2020: June 21-25, August 3-16
If your child has been assigned summer work, Summer Executive Function Strategy Sessions are a perfect opportunity to get organized, make a plan to complete it, and feel less stress, come August. Summer Strategy Sessions provide your child with an individualized program to:
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Click here to see a calendar with available dates in June and August.
What are Executive Function Strategy Sessions? Executive Function Strategy Sessions help your child identify the most effective, efficient tools and strategies to get organized and complete work -based on his or her learning style and personal preferences.
- Executive Function Strategy Sessions provide direct instruction with technology tools (iOS apps, Chrome extensions, built-in accessibility features, and others) and clever study techniques to process information and tasks more quickly and thoroughly.
- Your child's workload provides the context for exploring a range of individualized recommendations that enable more efficient workflow routines and build a sense of agency.
- The tools and strategies support increased processing speed, working memory, self-monitoring, and sequencing. Weaknesses in these cognitive skills contribute to less work production and greater frustration. They often correlate with ADHD, anxiety, and other mild/moderate LDs but are not limited to students with a diagnosis.
How does it work?
- Executive Function Strategy Sessions take place via Google Meet or Zoom.
- Meeting twice per week for 25 minutes is typically an effective schedule. After about 6-8, 25-minute sessions many students gain confidence using new tools and techniques that help them initiate and sustain effort when faced with challenging tasks.
- At this point some students feel prepared to use the tools independently, while others benefit from more ongoing, periodic support integrating them in ways that promote more consistent, helpful workflow habits and outcomes.
- The investment for an Executive Function Strategy Session is $160/session or $80 for 1/2 a session. Here is a link to the billing policy.
- Students in grades 5-12, parents are always welcome to sit in
- Yes. This optional, but recommended Zoom consult provides parents with a brief overview of the executive function framework and an opportunity to share background information about their child. It can be as brief as 15 minutes or more in-depth, depending upon each family's unique situation and goals. Here is a link to the billing policy.
The single greatest predictor of academic success is executive function. It even trumps IQ.
-Dr. John Medina, Brain Rules
-Dr. John Medina, Brain Rules
Skills, outcomes, and a sampling of tech tools to achieve them:
- Goal setting: identifying individualized goals and outcomes based on parent and student input
- Boosting processing speed:
- Built-in accessibility features in iOS (Mac), Chromebook: screenshots for annotating, text-to-speech, voice dictation
- Digitizing worksheets: turn paper handouts into digital docs with extra space for typing or handwriting using a stylus
- Voice dictation
- Focus/attention: increasing focus through environmental changes; limiting access to distracting websites, notifications, apps, etc.
- Working memory: strategies for keeping salient information in the forefront for quick reference
- Planning and sequencing ideas for writing, steps of a project, or process; some students prefer visual tools, such as concept maps, others prefer a more linear approach
- Visual and calendar reminders: taking a more active role in task management
- Suggestions for organizing physical materials and digital documents for units of study or semesters
- Organizing, time, task management: Google Classroom tools, Docs, Calendar, Keep
- Sharing a quick, easy to understand conceptual model of executive function and how the suggested tools and strategies all relate to supporting these skills.
“It is important to recognize that someone might be academically gifted but lagging in all the skills
that go into managing education like studying, handing in your school work and forgetfulness.”
New York Times, November 2019
that go into managing education like studying, handing in your school work and forgetfulness.”
New York Times, November 2019
Availability:
1. Click on this calendar of available times
2. Contact Dan Leibowitz to inquire and schedule
1. Click on this calendar of available times
2. Contact Dan Leibowitz to inquire and schedule
My child has a neuropsychological evaluation with assistive technology and other recommendations, can you help with this?
- Yes. This solution-oriented approach is a practical supplement to a neuropsychological evaluation.
- Parents can send a copy of the "Recommendations" section of the report and Dan will prepare a customized list of relevant options to demonstrate, many of which may not be included in the report's recommendations.
- If more in-depth training is desired subsequent sessions can be scheduled for this purpose. The goal of the sessions is to share practical tools and strategies that will help your child work around challenges while limiting obstacles and frustration.
- No. Executive Function Strategy Sessions demonstrate common, inexpensive, or free iPad apps, Chrome extensions, software, etc., and how to leverage them to create more productive study and organizational routines.
- No, but after discussion and demonstrations via Dan's screen they can choose to install free or inexpensive extensions and/or iPad apps -generally $10 or less.
“My son and I met with Dan and LOVED everything about Dan and our meeting! My son has struggled with organization for years and it has caused great distress for all of us. Within MINUTES of meeting with Dan, my son was all smiles and told me he was FINALLY getting the information he needs to be better organized and alleviate the stress of school. He was relieved! Thank you Dan for making my son so happy and giving him the tools he needs to start school and make it a positive experience! ”
-S.S., Mill Valley
-S.S., Mill Valley