Lend Me Your Frontal LobeSession One

Anticipation Guide

Outcomes

• Define executive skills• Identify characteristics of executive

functions• Identify the development executive skills

over the lifespan• Identify definitions of learning

disabilities, ADHD and autism

Level of Impact Evidence Training Method

Awareness Articulate a general concept

Stand and deliver

Conceptual understanding

Clearly articulate a concept

Modeling/

Demonstration

Skill acquisition Use skills in structured setting

Practice in simulated situation with feedback

Application of skills Flexibly use skills Real cases with coaching

Model For Adult LearningJoyce & Showers, 1980,1992

Rosenfield & Gravois,1996

Executive functions can be defined as… a collection of processes

that are responsible for guiding, directing and managing cognitive,

emotional and behavioral functions, particularly during novel problem

solving.

Executive functions can be defined as… a collection of processes

that are responsible for guiding, directing and managing cognitive,

emotional and behavioral functions, particularly during novel problem

solving.

Where are executive functions located?

Where are executive functions located?

Where are executive skills located?

Executive Skills

How are executive skills developed?

Executive skills develop…

through a process called myelination. Myelin acts as insulation, increasing the speed with which nerve impulses are transmitted. The faster the impulse, the better the skill.

All skills, including executive skills, improve with practice…

The more you practice, the better the skill. Practice also makes the task less effortful.

Frontal lobes take time to develop…

Vicki Anderson, PhD, Department of Psychology, Royal Children's Hospital

Risk-taking in Adolescence

Richard Guare, Ph.D., Smart but Scattered

Until they are fully developed in students, parents and teachers act as “surrogate”

frontal lobes.

Three primary ways to develop executive skills:

1. Change the environment to reduce the impact of weak executive skills.

2. Teach and model executive skills.

3. Use incentives to get students to use skills that are hard for them.

Executive Functions serve as a Cognitive Conductor

The conductor or “master control” for all higher order and basic information processing.

The brain’s master control and command system.

Do you know your executive functions?

With a partner, match the nine executive functions with their definitions

What do executive skill weaknesses look like in

your students?

What is a Learning Disability?

•Brain 'processes' information differently

• Certain kinds of information get stuck or lost while traveling through the brain.

•Causes a 'discrepancy' between ability and achievement.

What is Autism?

“Developmental disability that impacts development in the areas of

• verbal and non-verbal communication• social interactions• leisure or play activities”

What is ADHD?

Characterized by developmentally inappropriate

• inattention,

• impulsivity

• hyperactivity

What is the typically developing student?

Next Steps

Executive Skills Self Assessment